Over the past years, the number of Vietnamese tourists traveling to Cambodia via HCM City has increased. Main reason for the increase is attributed to convenient transport, including opening of many bus routes from HCM City to Vientiane and some famous tourist sites in Cambodia. Entry visa procedures at border gates and cost are more simply and suitable…
In the upcoming time, the number of Vietnamese people traveling to Cambodia will increase more strongly when Vietnam and Cambodia signed a visa exemption agreement on November 4 on occasion of the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen’s official visit to Vietnam.
At present, travel businesses are paying much more attention to Cambodia. The Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) on August, 2008 sent a working group to Cambodia to study the market. With proper marketing strategy and attractive tour ogranisation, local travel firms have organised many tours to Cambodia. Ben Thanh Tourist alone is expected to receive 2,000 tour orders to Cambodia this year, up 100 per cent compared to last year’s figure; Hoa Binh Tourism Co also sees 100 per cent increase in the number of tour orders to Cambodia. Realising more attraction of Angkor Temple, one of the world heritage site, the company on May, 2008 decided to increase road tour arrangement to Cambodia to four tours a week. To date, the number of tourists to Cambodia up 48 per cent, raising the total number of visitors to Cambodia to nearly 7,500 in the first eleven months of 2008, the company said.
Currently, the majority of Vietnamese people travel to Cambodia by road via Moc Bai Border Gate in southern Tay Ninh Province. As usual, four-day and five-day tours to Cambodia cost between US$200 to US$215 per tourist. Many tourists take self-sufficient bus tours to the country. Sapaco Tourist each day welcomes around 700 Vietnamese and Cambodian travelers. Daily, Sapaco Tourist organises 12 HCM City-Phnom Penh trips and one HCM City- Siem Reap trip. Le Van Toi, Director of Sapaco Tourist said, travelers who take HCM City- Phnom Penh trip often receive considerate guidelines from its staff. Sapaco has opened three offices in Phnom Penh. Tourists who want to get more information about Cambodia trips can get contact the company for further information.
In Cambodia, holiday makers can take tours to Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda whereis home to 90-kilogram gold statue of Buddha inlaid with 2,086 diamonds and a sapphire statue of Buddha of 1 metre. The pagoda foundation is inlaid with 5,329 silver-made bricks, each brick is 1,125 kilograms heavy); Penh Pagoda or Wat Phnom is an ancient and marvelous pagoda in Cambodia. Tourists can also visit Banteay Srey Temple (35 kilometres from Siem Reap, the temple was built with Laterite and red Sandstone by the end of 10th Century), Angkor Thom Temple (the capital city of Khmer People in the 12th Century, South Gate and East Gate of Angkor Thom – Elephant Yard- the Ruins of Angkor- Phemeanrkas Temple, Baphoun, Bayon (four-side 12-metre statues). Tourists can also take tours to Angkor Wat – world heritage site: this is the most beautiful and great work of Angkor complex. Angkor Wat was built by 12th Century under the Suryavaman II Dynasty to worship Vishnu Genii. If visitors want to see the sunset and overview of Angkor, they should climb to Bakheng Mountain. Víiting Cambodia, travelers will have a chance to enjoy delicious dishes of Cambodia, especially insect-made dishes such as dried spider, fried scorpion… and enjoy Apsara dancing arts. In addition, visitors can visit Tonle Sap where many Vietnamese people are living.
Ta Thi Cam Vinh, head of outbound and inbound tour department of Ben Thanh Tourist, said "the visitors of Vietnamese to Cambodia will increase when the visa exemption agreement takes into effect. We plan to work with Cambodian partners to launch a promotion campaign on the occasion". Currenly, visitors must pay additional US$25 for visa procedures excluding tour price if they ask for visa entry procedures in HCM City and US$20 for the procedures at Moc Bai Border Gate. The cost is as high as a one-way tick for HCM City-Siem Reap trip.
May Trang
Vietnamese
