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Up-to-You, Bus, Taxi or Airplane Phnom Penh Cambodia to Saigon Vietnam
Back in the old days taking the bus to Saigon from Phnom Penh was not a real good option. The buses were old with air con that never worked, even today some should still read historically air conditioned. The taxis rattled you to pieces, and the airplanes were so expensive the ticket agents wore masks and guns to make you feel more comfortable with being robbed. Today most feel that the bus is the most attractive way to go for most people. However very recently cheap flights Saigon to Phnom Penh are becoming available
In the past the buses were not safe as today. There are a lot more companies and the competition has forced most of the companies to improve the buses with Mekong express being the new benchmark. The servicing of shocks, brakes and hydraulics as well as new tires has really made a big difference for comfort and safety. The inconveniences of changing buses at the borders have been eliminated for the most part, on the buses that serve the western tourist. If the bus does not go all the way thorough, you are booking on the wrong bus company.
Taxis are less expensive than buses, but also have their own unique problems. Today the taxis are not as safe as the buses, as many taxi and mini bus drivers put in to many hours on the road; also a bus being much larger, offers a greater safety cocoon in event of an accident than a taxi, which due to the bad roads and ignorance of the rules of the road, coupled with machismo and me first, the local version of the golden rule, only adds to the problem.
Air service between Phnom Penh and Saigon is still very expensive considering the short duration of the flights. One of the reasons for the expense is that the Cambodian government charges very high rates for airplanes to land and depart from Cambodia , and for the passengers, they have one of the highest departure taxes in the world, currently at $25 USD. While the actual flight time is short, when you add up the taxi rides to the airport, approximately 40 minute in good traffic for Saigon or Phnom Penh, and the need to get to the airport a minimum of 90 minutes before hand, add clearing customs and the taxi ride into town and there really isn't a real lot of time savings by taking the flights. Many are hoping with the new open skies policies scheduled to start taking place in Dec 2008 that the increase of coverage by regional budget carries like Air Asia and Tiger Air will lower the cost of airfares for flights between these two capitol cities. In addition, both airports are a fair ways outside of town, with the cost around $10 from each the respective downtowns to their international airports.
For budget travelers the bus is the best value as it offers the best price with good safety and convenience. Taxis are slightly faster, but the safety factor should not be ignored. If you are in hurry then the fastest, as well as most expensive route is the airplanes, with the hope being that cheaper flights will be soon be available making air travel the more attractive option in the future.
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