Fast facts
The route
- About 80 km from District 1 to the checkpoint
- QL22 northwest through Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Trang Bang
- Roughly 2 hours each way, less on an early departure
- Bavet on the Cambodia side, same crossing
Timing
When to cross
Leave before sunrise and you clear both borders in 15 to 20 minutes. Arrive after 09:30 and the tour bus queues at Bavet can stretch past an hour. Weekends and Tet holidays are the slowest windows.
Return
Same-day loop
Out through Moc Bai, into Cambodia at Bavet, straight back in. Most runs are done door to door in about 12 hours, home in Saigon before dinner.
Route guide
The route and drive time
Moc Bai is the closest international border to Ho Chi Minh City, and that distance is the whole reason it exists for visa runs. From District 1 the drive runs about 80 kilometers up QL22, heading northwest through Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, and Trang Bang before the checkpoint appears in Tay Ninh province. In normal traffic expect two hours each way. On an early run, before the city wakes up, it can be closer to one hour and forty-five minutes.
The road is sealed and well used, but it is a national highway, not a motorway. Trucks and buses set the pace through the towns, so the timing advantage belongs to whoever leaves first. A car rolling out of District 1 around 05:00 clears the city traffic, hits the highway while it is quiet, and reaches Moc Bai between 07:00 and 07:30. That window is the difference between a relaxed crossing and standing in line behind three tour groups.
From Thao Dien, Phu My Hung, or Thu Duc, add a little time for the city itself. The border is the same; only the first hour of the drive changes. Pickup areas covered on this route include District 1, District 3, Binh Thanh, Thao Dien, Thu Duc, and Phu My Hung.
Border hours
Moc Bai opening hours and wait times
Moc Bai is an international gate, so the passenger checkpoint does not close overnight the way some smaller crossings do. People cross on foot and by car around the clock. But open 24 hours does not mean every lane moves fast at any hour, and for a visa run the question is really about queues, not opening hours.
Weekdays
Monday through Thursday are the lightest days. The early window, 06:00 to 08:30, is quietest of all, with most runs clearing both sides in 15 to 20 minutes. Tour buses from Ho Chi Minh City start arriving around 09:30, and between then and 11:30 the Cambodian entry queue at Bavet can stretch to 30 or 60 minutes.
Weekends
Saturday and Sunday draw day-trippers from Saigon plus Cambodian workers and shoppers moving the other way. If you arrive at Bavet after 10:00 on a weekend, add an extra 30 to 45 minutes on the Cambodia side. The Vietnam exit side at Moc Bai stays comparatively quick.
Holidays
Around Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, both directions fill with people traveling to family on either side of the border. Counters stay open, but queues multiply and the crossing can take twice as long. If your visa expires during a holiday week, take the earliest possible morning slot and do not leave it to the last day.
Step by step
How the crossing works
The crossing is simple once you know the order of things. Four steps, and most of them take minutes.
- Vietnam exit at Moc Bai. Passport in hand, get the exit stamp, walk through. If you are overstaying, this is where it gets caught, so sort that out before the trip.
- Cambodia entry at Bavet. A short walk across the neutral strip. Most nationalities use a visa on arrival or a Cambodia e-visa arranged in advance. Pay the fee in US dollars and get the entry stamp.
- The turnaround. For a visa run you do not sightsee. Walk back through Cambodia exit, then re-enter Vietnam at Moc Bai with your fresh Vietnam e-visa already approved and printed. The entry stamp resets your allowed stay.
- Return drive. Back in the car for the two-hour ride to Saigon. Early runs spend under an hour combined at both borders.
The step that trips up first-timers is the Cambodia visa. If your nationality needs one and you have not prepared it, the queue at Bavet becomes the slow part of your day. That is where onsite guided assistance earns its keep: the Tay Ninh fixers queue the Cambodia visa, check paperwork against what the counters actually want, and make sure nobody is sent back for a missing stamp or a form filled out wrong.
Checklist
What to bring
- Passport, valid at least six months beyond entry, in decent condition.
- Printed Vietnam e-visa or approval letter, plus a copy on your phone.
- US dollars in small bills for the Cambodia visa fee at Bavet.
- A spare passport photo for the Cambodia visa-on-arrival form.
- A pen for the border forms, and your booking confirmation.
Leave behind
What you do not need
A bag of documents, a visa agent's number from an old forum thread, or dong for the Cambodia counter. The Cambodian side works in dollars. Pack light and you move faster through both checkpoints. If anything is missing on the day, the team at the border can usually sort it before you reach the window.
Costs
What a Moc Bai visa run costs in 2026
Transport on the booking form is 2,000,000 VND per traveler for the private car run from Ho Chi Minh City to Moc Bai and back. The Vietnam 90-day e-visa add-on is 2,400,000 VND single entry or 3,100,000 VND multiple entry. Cambodia visa is 1,100,000 VND, and onsite guided assistance is 700,000 VND.
Bundles save the most. Transport plus the Vietnam 90-day e-visa plus the Cambodia visa is 5,300,000 VND. Add guided assistance and it is 6,000,000 VND. For a first-time border runner, the full bundle usually pays for itself in skipped mistakes and a crossing that stays under two hours. The full cost and price breakdown walks through the line items in VND and USD.
Prices can change, so the booking form remains the source of truth. You pay on arrival, cash or bank transfer, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure.
FAQ
Quick answers
Is Moc Bai the closest border to Saigon?
Yes, at about 80 kilometers it is the nearest international checkpoint to Ho Chi Minh City, which makes it the default visa run route.
What time should I leave the city?
Around 05:00 from District 1. You reach Moc Bai by 07:00 to 07:30, ahead of the tour bus wave, and clear both borders in minutes.
Do I need a Cambodia visa at Bavet?
Most nationalities do, on arrival or as an e-visa arranged in advance. Fees are in US dollars. See the Cambodia visa at Bavet guide for the details.
How long is the whole day?
About 12 hours door to door. Early departures are home by early evening, with under an hour spent at both borders combined.
What if I have never done a border run?
Take the bundle with guided assistance. The fixers handle the Cambodia visa queue and check your paperwork, so the first run is also the easiest.
Where should I go next?
The main Ho Chi Minh visa run page covers the service in full, and the FAQ answers most practical questions.