Prek Chak border gate (Cambodia): opening hours, visa and visa run 2026

Prek Chak International Border Gate is in Kampong Trach district, Kampot province (Cambodia), opposite the Ha Tien (Xa Xia) border gate in An Giang province, about 7 km from central Ha Tien. From Prek Chak it is about 20 km to Kep and about 35 km to Kampot town. The gate issues Cambodian visas on arrival and operates daily, roughly 7:00–18:00 (Cambodia uses the same time as Vietnam). It is the nearest gate for the beaches of Kep and Kampot, and a convenient visa run option for people in Ha Tien or Phu Quoc.

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Prek Chak border gate at a glance

Country / province	Cambodia, Kampong Trach district, Kampot province
Opposite border gate	Ha Tien (Xa Xia), An Giang province (Vietnam)
Distance	about 7 km to central Ha Tien; about 20 km to Kep, 35 km to Kampot town
Opening hours (local time, UTC+7)	daily, roughly 7:00–18:00; arrive before 16:00
Visa on arrival	Yes, official tourist visa fee 30 USD, 1 photo; many travellers report being charged 35 USD
Cambodian e-visa accepted?	No, Prek Chak does not yet accept the Cambodian e-visa

Border gate location on Google Maps

Tap the button below to open Google Maps on your phone and get directions straight to the border gate.

Get directions to the border gate View on Google Maps

Cambodian visa when entering via Prek Chak

Cambodia issues tourist visas (type T) on arrival for an official fee of 30 USD, and business visas (type E) for 35 USD; both allow a 30-day stay and a single entry. You fill in the form at the counter, hand over 1 passport photo and pay in US dollars cash. Citizens of Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore are visa-exempt for 30 days; Thailand, Myanmar and Brunei for 14 days. Rules can vary by nationality, so double-check before you travel.

Prek Chak is not on the list of gates accepting the Cambodian e-visa; many travellers have had their e-visa refused here. If you have already applied for an e-visa, go via Bavet. When buying a visa on arrival, many reports say you are usually charged about 35 USD instead of 30 USD, possibly with an unofficial 1 USD “health check” on top. Bring exact small notes to make payment easier.

Travellers entering by land currently still usually fill in a paper arrival card at the border; e-Arrival (arrival.gov.kh) mainly applies to air travel, so check for any changes.

Crossing at Prek Chak step by step

Complete Vietnamese exit formalities at Ha Tien (Xa Xia): show your passport, get your exit stamp and have your luggage scanned.
Walk a few hundred metres to the Prek Chak checkpoint.
Fill in the form, hand over your photo and visa fee (or show your exemption), give your fingerprints and get your Cambodian entry stamp.
If you are doing a visa run: go back to the Prek Chak departure counter for your exit stamp.
Return to Ha Tien (Xa Xia) and enter Vietnam with an e-visa, temporary residence card, 5-year visa exemption certificate or visa exemption.

Where to go from Prek Chak border gate

Kep: about 20 km, 30–45 minutes by motorbike taxi or tuk-tuk; famous for Kep crab and its beach.
Kampot: about 35 km, about 1–1.5 hours; from Kampot there are buses to Phnom Penh taking about 3–4 hours.
From Ha Tien, minivan transfers booked through travel agents take you across the border and connect to Kep and Kampot.
Vietnamese side: a taxi or motorbike taxi from the border to central Ha Tien covers about 7 km; from Ha Tien there are speedboats to Phu Quoc taking about 1.5 hours.
Just outside the gate on the Cambodian side there are money changers and SIM card sellers.

Documents to bring

A passport valid for at least 6 more months with blank pages for the visa and stamps.
Documents to re-enter Vietnam: a Vietnam e-visa (printed, with Ha Tien as the entry gate), temporary residence card, 5-year visa exemption certificate, or a nationality on the list of countries exempt from Vietnamese visas.
US dollars in cash (new, undamaged notes) for the Cambodian visa fee and some small change for transport.
1–2 passport photos (4×6) for the visa-on-arrival application.

Visa run via Prek Chak

A Ha Tien – Prek Chak visa run suits people living in Phu Quoc, Ha Tien or Rach Gia. From central Ha Tien, the border crossing itself usually takes about 1–2 hours if your documents are in order. People in Phu Quoc should allow extra time for the boat and may need to stay overnight in Ha Tien. See Cambodia visa run, the visa run service and the article is a visa run legal.

Tips for crossing at Prek Chak

Do not use a Cambodian e-visa at this gate; bring cash to buy a visa on arrival.
Drivers on the Cambodian side usually wait for passengers; agree on a clear price before heading to Kep or Kampot.
Apply for your Vietnam e-visa before exiting, so you do not have to wait for approval in Cambodia.
Cambodia is in the same time zone as Vietnam (UTC+7), so the hours on both sides match; no need to change your watch.
The official visa fee is collected in USD. Sometimes someone asks for a few extra dollars as a “speed fee” or “health check”; you can politely ask for a receipt and pay the posted amount.
When applying for a Vietnam e-visa, choose Ha Tien as your entry gate; see the list of border gates accepting the e-visa.
Do not overstay before leaving Vietnam: fines range from 0.5 to 40 million VND under Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP (see visa overstay).
After you return to Vietnam, your accommodation must complete the temporary residence declaration within 12 hours.