Vietnam forum

Hi Jody,
There are direct buses between Rach Gia and Chau Doc, or you can go via Can Tho (which means you can overnight and see the floating markets there).

No need to book the boat trip, just arrange your tickets when you get to Chau Doc for departure the following day.

Hi,
We are planning a similar trip in the opposite direction from
1)Phnom Penh to Chau Doc (overnight), then
2)Chau Doc to Rach Gia (hopefully after a floating village tour in the morning, need some advice regarding time wise)
3)Rach Gia to Phu Quoc Islands.(boat if possible, fly otherwise)

For (1), from many forums i get the idea that the slow boat is really slow, but besides the floating villages tour at dawn, is there anything particularly worth reaching Chau Doc in the afternoon for?

For (2), is it a local bus that we take or a tour comapny bus. Also, can we just get the tickets once we arrive in Chau Doc. We would love to go via Can Tho but are very short on time.

We are planning to buy tickets for the SuperDong to Phu Quoc immediately when we arrive at Rach Gia.
Firstly, is there even an afternoon boat for this option? Secondly, would this be recommended, or do we run the risk of having to fly to PQ islands instead if we miss the boat?

Any advice/help appreciated

Re the slow boat from PP, and stuff to do in Chau Doc in the afternoon -- Sam mountain for late afternoon/sunset is about as wild as Chau Doc gets. The views are pretty good. What I liked the best in Chau Doc was getting up before dawn and getting paddled around the rafthouses at dawn -- was very interesting. You don't need a tour to do it -- just walk down to the water's edge and stand around looking like you may need somebody to paddle you around -- you should be in a boat within oh, I dunno, 15 seconds!

I got around by local bus. Chau Doc bus station is a little out of town, there's a ticket office and the prices are clearly listed -- just buy a ticket fro the ticket office and you'll be put onto the next departing bus/minibus -- it's not the most comfortable ride on earth... but if comfort is a major issue then I'm sure your guesthouse will be able to put you onto a minibus option.

Afternoon boat I think is around 12:30, but it "doesn't always go" the morning boat (8:30ish) is more reliable. If you overnight in Rach Gia there's a great set of dessert stalls by the canal that leads out to the piers -- recommended ;-)

Thanks Somtam, we have done the trip now and yep transport seems to be no problem in Vietnam or Cambodia and there seems to be quite a lot of choice.