Bavet Bus or Flight from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City: Which Should Aussies Pick in 2026?
The same trip costs Aussies seven times as much by plane as by bus, but saves them six hours. So which one actually makes sense in 2026? It depends on whether you're chasing time, dollars, baggage, or rice-paddy views.
Should Australians fly or take the bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City in 2026?
It depends on your trip and your wallet. The bus via the Bavet land border costs $15–25 USD (~$23–38 AUD) and takes 6–8 hours door-to-door — best for backpackers, anyone with bulky luggage, and travellers who actually want to see southern Cambodia's rice paddies. The flight costs $75–150 USD (~$114–229 AUD) and takes 4–5 hours door-to-door including airport time — best for business travellers, anyone with a tight connection, and anyone who'd rather spend the saved hours in Saigon than on a coach. Both routes need a Vietnam eVisa ($25 USD / ~$38 AUD) pre-applied online.
Key Takeaways
- Flight Phnom Penh → Ho Chi Minh City: $75–150 USD (~$114–229 AUD), 1 hour gate-to-gate, but 4–5 hours door-to-door once airports are factored in.
- Bus via Bavet: $15–25 USD (~$23–38 AUD), 6–8 hours door-to-door, scenic rice-paddy route, unlimited luggage.
- Flight wins for Aussie business travellers, anyone with tight onward connections, or trips longer than two weeks where one day matters less than fatigue.
- Bus wins for Aussie backpackers, anyone with a board or oversize gear, anyone curious about the Mekong delta, and tight-budget travellers under 30.
- Both options need a Vietnam eVisa pre-applied ($25 USD / ~$38 AUD); the Cambodia leg requires the same eVisa ($80 USD / ~$122 AUD all-in) regardless of how you exit.
Why this comparison matters in 2026
Aussies plotting an Indochina trip in 2026 face a question that didn't really exist a decade ago. Budget airlines now make the Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City flight realistic for under $100 USD (~$152 AUD) on a good day, but the tourist coach via the Bavet land border has also got cheaper, faster, and more comfortable than it used to be. The decision is no longer a one-line answer — it depends on what you're optimising for.
This guide is the honest side-by-side. It draws on actual fare scans across the last three months, real journey times for both options, and the working assumptions our team uses when we help Aussie clients plan their Cambodia–Vietnam combo trips. The Vietnam–Cambodia visa combo guide covers the visa sequencing that applies to both routes; the Bavet bus-route guide and the Bavet–Moc Bai border crossing guide each go deeper on the overland option alone. Our official Cambodia eVisa for Australians pulls all the pieces — cost, documents, processing — into one place.
One framing note before we go further. With every Thailand–Cambodia land border closed since June 2025, Bavet is now the main overland gateway between Cambodia and the rest of Indochina. That changes the bus-versus-flight maths a little — the bus is no longer one of three overland options, it's the overland option. If you want to do any land crossing at all between Cambodia and Vietnam in 2026, this is the route.
The honest side-by-side for Aussies
Strip the romance away and look at the numbers. Here is the actual cost-and-time picture for Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City in June 2026, drawn from live fare scans across the last three months on the bus operators (Giant Ibis, Mekong Express, Sapaco) and the air carriers (Cambodia Angkor Air, AirAsia, Vietnam Airlines).
Two clarifications on that table. First: the flight's one-hour figure is gate-to-gate, but realistic door-to-door — including the tuk-tuk to KTI Phnom Penh airport (45 minutes), check-in (60 minutes), security (15 minutes), boarding and taxi (20 minutes), then arrival at SGN, immigration queue, luggage carousel, and a Grab into central Saigon (60 minutes total on the Vietnamese side) — is 4 to 5 hours. The bus's 6 to 8 hours is also door-to-door. So the gap is closer to 2 to 4 hours of saved time, not 5 to 7.
Second: the flight fare range is wide because budget carriers fluctuate heavily based on advance booking. Book 4 weeks ahead on AirAsia and you're at the low end ($75 USD / ~$114 AUD). Book the day before on Vietnam Airlines and you're at the high end ($150 USD / ~$229 AUD). The bus price doesn't move much — it's a fixed $15 to $25 USD (~$23 to $38 AUD) whether you book the night before or three weeks ahead.
When the flight genuinely wins for Aussies
For some Aussie travellers in 2026, the flight is the clearly correct choice. The extra dollars are worth it in five specific scenarios.
Business travellers on tight diaries
If you're flying into Cambodia for a few days of supplier visits, factory tours, or a conference and then heading to Vietnam for more of the same, a coach day is a wasted day. Aussie business travellers on a five-day, two-country trip don't have a spare seven hours to lose to a bus. Book the Vietnam Airlines or Cambodia Angkor Air morning flight, work on the plane, land in Saigon by lunch. The Cambodia business meeting trip guide and the Cambodia business visa explainer cover the broader business-trip planning.
Anyone with a tight onward connection
If you're flying out of Saigon to Sydney or Melbourne the same evening, the bus is genuinely risky. Border queues at Bavet are usually 45 to 75 minutes but can stretch to two hours on a bad afternoon. The flight from Phnom Penh gives you a clean buffer — book the morning service, land at SGN by 10am, comfortable five-hour window before your long-haul. The bus would put you at SGN at 4pm with no margin if anything goes wrong on Highway 1.
Anyone aged 50+ or with mobility considerations
Seven hours on a tourist coach is fine if you're 28 and limber. It's tougher if you're 65, dealing with chronic back pain, or recovering from anything. The flight is genuinely kinder on the body — one hour seated with the option to walk around at the airport, rather than seven hours of coach seat with one rest stop. Aussie retirees on Indochina cruises and slow-travel itineraries almost always pick the flight for this leg.
Trips of two weeks or less
If your whole Indochina trip is only 10 to 14 days, losing one of them to a bus you could have skipped for $60 USD (~$91 AUD) is a poor trade. The flight protects your itinerary. Three Cambodia days plus three Vietnam days becomes meaningfully more enjoyable when you don't burn an entire travel day on the move between them.
Anyone travelling with two or more children under 10
Seven hours on a coach with under-tens is doable but unpleasant. The flight is one hour with an aircraft toilet, snacks, and the novelty factor that buys you half an hour of cooperation. The cost difference for a family of four is significant ($300–600 USD / ~$457–915 AUD vs $60–100 USD / ~$91–152 AUD), but the sanity preservation is worth it for most Aussie family travellers.
When the bus genuinely wins for Aussies
For other Aussie travellers in 2026, the bus is the clearly correct choice. The saved $60 to $130 USD (~$91 to $198 AUD) is well-spent in five scenarios.
Backpackers on multi-month trips
If you're doing a three-month Southeast Asia run and time is the cheap thing while money is the expensive thing, the bus is an easy yes. $15 to $25 USD (~$23 to $38 AUD) is one cheap hostel night. The flight at $100 USD (~$152 AUD) is four hostel nights. Multiply that across the trip and the bus is paying for a full week of Cambodia.
Anyone with oversize gear
Surfboard, music gear, large souvenirs, a second checked bag full of textiles from Russian Market — none of this travels well by plane. AirAsia charges $40 to $80 USD (~$61 to $122 AUD) for oversize fees, and even the legacy carriers cap you at one piece. On the bus, the under-coach hold takes everything within reason at no extra cost. For Aussies who shop hard at the Phnom Penh markets, this alone can recover the saved fare.
Anyone who actually wants to see the Mekong delta
Highway 1 between Phnom Penh and Saigon runs through some of the most photogenic rural landscape in Southeast Asia — rice paddies stretching to the horizon, palm clusters, water buffalo, slow brown rivers, the entire backdrop of the Mekong delta. From the plane you see clouds. From the bus you see the actual country. For Aussies on a first Indochina trip who care about the scenery, the bus is the better experience even if it costs more time.
Tight-budget travellers under 30
If you're working with an Aussie working-holiday budget of $50 to $80 AUD per day on the road, every $100 USD (~$152 AUD) saved is genuinely two days of further trip. The bus is the rational choice for under-30 Aussie travellers without business expense reimbursement, and the $20 to $30 USD (~$30 to $46 AUD) saved on the meal-and-snacks side of a bus day (versus airport food and Saigon transfers) makes the gap even wider.
Eco-conscious travellers
The flight burns roughly 80 to 100 kg of CO2 per passenger for the Phnom Penh to Saigon hop. The bus is closer to 30 kg per passenger thanks to the shared seating capacity and the shorter total distance per person. For Aussies tracking carbon for personal or work-trip reasons, the bus is a meaningful improvement — about a third of the footprint.
Visa logistics: same paperwork, same dollars, either way
Whichever route you pick, the visa requirements are identical. The Cambodia eVisa for Australians is $80 USD (~$122 AUD) all-in regardless of whether you fly or bus out — there is no land-vs-air surcharge. The Vietnam eVisa is $25 USD (~$38 AUD) for single-entry, applied for online before you travel, and accepted at both Tan Son Nhat airport and the Moc Bai land border.
For the Cambodia paperwork, our standard product covers it — approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF by email, with Aussie-timezone support. Free resubmission if Immigration flags a correction. The how to apply for a Cambodia eVisa walkthrough covers every field, and the Cambodia visa cost breakdown covers the dollar breakdown if you want the line-by-line.
Two practical differences worth noting between the routes. On the flight, you'll need the Cambodia e-Arrival Card if and only if Cambodia is your air-arrival country — and on this leg, you're departing Cambodia, so no card is needed regardless. On the bus, there's no Cambodia e-Arrival to file in either direction; the e-Arrival Card is mandatory only for air arrivals into KTI, SAI, or KOS.
Multi-entry Vietnam eVisa is worth the extra $25 USD (~$38 AUD) if you might bounce back
If your trip plan is Cambodia → Vietnam → Cambodia (for example, flying home from Phnom Penh after a Vietnam side-trip), pay the extra $25 USD (~$38 AUD) up front for the $50 USD (~$76 AUD) multi-entry Vietnam eVisa. Applying for a fresh single-entry mid-trip in Saigon adds three to five working days of waiting, which is rarely worth saving the $25 USD (~$38 AUD).
How to actually decide in five minutes
Most Aussie travellers can settle the question with three quick questions. Run through these and the answer usually falls out.
- Is your total Indochina trip 14 days or less? If yes, lean flight. If 15+ days, the bus is fine.
- Are you carrying anything bulky — surfboard, instrument, second-bag worth of shopping? If yes, bus. If no, either works.
- Do you have a Saigon connection or a same-day onward flight? If yes, fly. If no, the bus is the relaxed choice.
If two of those three questions point you the same direction, that is the right answer. If they split, then the deciding question is usually budget: every $100 USD (~$152 AUD) saved on the bus is two extra hostel nights, or one nice restaurant meal in Saigon, or a half-day Mekong delta tour. For Aussie travellers who feel the cost of their trip, that maths usually settles it for the bus.
Our team handles the Cambodia eVisa side of things either way — the eVisa is $80 USD (~$122 AUD) all-in, approved in 3 business days, and delivered as a printable PDF by email. Checked end-to-end before it reaches Immigration. Aussie-timezone support if anything needs sorting before your departure.
Next steps and related reading for Australians: apply for your Cambodia eVisa when you are ready to lodge, bookmark our Cambodia visa hub for Australian citizens as the single canonical reference, skim the FAQ on Cambodia visa at the border for quick answers, and use our glossary of Cambodia visa terms to decode any acronym in this guide; for a structured side-by-side evisa vs visa on arrival comparison, see the dedicated comparison page.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper for Aussies to fly or take the bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon?
The bus is significantly cheaper. A tourist coach via Bavet runs $15 to $25 USD (~$23 to $38 AUD) one-way on Giant Ibis or Mekong Express. The flight runs $75 to $150 USD (~$114 to $229 AUD) depending on carrier and how far ahead you book. The price gap is $60 to $130 USD (~$91 to $198 AUD) per person each way — meaningful enough that backpackers and budget Aussie travellers almost always pick the bus.
How much time does flying actually save me?
Less than the gate-to-gate time suggests. The flight is 1 hour wheels-up to wheels-down, but door-to-door — including the tuk-tuk to KTI Phnom Penh airport, check-in, security, immigration on arrival at SGN, and a Grab into central Saigon — the realistic total is 4 to 5 hours. The bus is 6 to 8 hours door-to-door. So the actual saving is 2 to 4 hours, not 5 to 7.
Can I bring a surfboard or large luggage on the bus?
Yes. Luggage allowance on Giant Ibis, Mekong Express, and Sapaco is effectively unlimited within reason. The under-coach hold takes one large checked bag, a daypack stays in the cabin with you, and oversize gear like surfboards or musical instruments fits in the hold at no extra cost. Compare this with airline oversize fees of $40 to $80 USD (~$61 to $122 AUD) per item, which can wipe out half the saving on a budget fare.
Which option is better for Aussie business travellers?
The flight, almost always. Aussie business travellers on multi-country, tight-diary trips can't afford to lose a working day to a coach. The flight gets you Phnom Penh to Saigon in 4 to 5 hours door-to-door, which means a 7am Cambodia breakfast meeting and a 2pm Vietnam lunch meeting on the same day is achievable. The bus does not make that schedule work. The cost premium of $60 to $130 USD (~$91 to $198 AUD) is trivial against the value of the saved business day.
Which option is better for Aussie backpackers?
The bus, almost always. The $60 to $130 USD (~$91 to $198 AUD) saved is two to four hostel nights or a half-week of street food, the luggage allowance is effectively unlimited (handy for bulky souvenirs), the scenery through the Mekong delta is genuinely beautiful, and the under-30 stamina for a 7-hour coach day is rarely an issue. Many Aussie backpackers actually plan the bus day deliberately as a relaxed pause between two busier weeks.
Do I need different visas for the bus versus the flight?
No — the visa requirements are identical. The Cambodia eVisa for Australians is $80 USD (~$122 AUD) all-in regardless of how you exit. The Vietnam eVisa is $25 USD (~$38 AUD) for single-entry, accepted at both Tan Son Nhat airport and the Moc Bai land border. Both eVisas need to be pre-applied online before you travel — neither route allows reliable visa-on-arrival for Australian passports in 2026.
What happens if my bus is delayed and I miss my onward flight?
This is the main reason not to combine the bus with a same-day onward international departure. Bavet–Moc Bai border queues are usually 45 to 75 minutes but can stretch to two hours, and Saigon traffic into SGN airport is unpredictable. If your onward flight is the same evening, give yourself at least 6 hours of buffer between scheduled bus arrival and check-in, or simply fly the Phnom Penh to Saigon leg too. The flight is more predictable.
Is the bus genuinely safe for Aussie travellers?
Yes. Giant Ibis and Mekong Express have decade-plus records on the route, both fleets are well-maintained, and the Highway 1 corridor is the busiest international road in Cambodia with no specific safety concerns above ordinary road travel. Smartraveller's Cambodia and Vietnam advisories cover the general background; neither flags this route as elevated risk. Personal-belongings theft on the coach is rare to nonexistent on the premium operators.
Which is greener: the flight or the bus?
The bus, comfortably. The Phnom Penh to Saigon flight burns roughly 80 to 100 kg of CO2 per passenger. The tourist coach via Bavet is closer to 30 kg per passenger, thanks to shared seating capacity and the shorter total fuel burn per person on a road journey of this length. For Aussies tracking their travel carbon, the bus is about a third of the footprint of the equivalent flight.
Sources
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