I woke up early to get to the bus station where the bus to Chau Doc departed. The bus was scheduled to leave at 8:00 AM, so I headed to the station by Grab at about 7:00 AM.
After arriving, I was surprised by the number of people inside the station. There was no TV screen or display showing where and when I was supposed to board. There were only announcements in Vietnamese, which I assumed were informing passengers about departing buses. Of course, I had no idea what they were saying, so I just waited until about 30 minutes before departure at one of the seats I found.
Eventually, at around 8:40 AM, I asked one of the staff members where I should go to get on the bus using a translation app. He pointed outside. As I headed there, I saw a bunch of buses lined up next to each other. Each bus had a sign showing its destination. The second-to-last bus was going to Chau Doc.
Many people waiting for the buses were eating sandwiches, so I started looking for where I could get one. Behind the waiting area were several shops selling coffee, snacks, and light meals. I bought what looked like the same sandwich everyone else had. About five minutes later, boarding began.
Most of the passengers looked to be in their 40s or 50s, many traveling with their children. As soon as I showed the QR code from my booking confirmation, it turned out that the ticket I had was the wrong one. A young staff member told me to go back to the waiting room and talk to one of the employees there.
Frustrated and stressed, I walked back and spoke with one of them. It was only a couple of minutes before departure. He told me that the date on my ticket was incorrect. I thought, “No way. I would never make that kind of stupid mistake.” I’m the type of person who checks tickets several times to make sure everything is correct.
However, when I looked closely at the ticket, he was right. I had booked a bus that departed one month later.
I felt embarrassed because I had been convinced that they were making a mistake. As soon as I realized it, I apologized. The staff member quickly arranged another ticket so I could board the bus that was about to leave. I thanked him and ran back to the bus.
Fortunately, boarding was still allowed. I stored my backpack underneath, told them my destination, and got on. The bus had sleeper seats arranged in rows. My seat was in the top bunk on the far-right side.
During the ride, I mostly slept. We arrived at around 11:30 AM.
The main thing I wanted to accomplish in Chau Doc was getting U.S. dollars for crossing the border into Cambodia. While researching transportation options, I learned that I could either take a bus or a ferry. The ferry sounded more interesting, so I decided to book it online even though it cost slightly more.
To pay for the ferry and the Cambodian visa on arrival, I needed cash. The ferry company accepted either Vietnamese dong or U.S. dollars, but the visa could only be paid for in U.S. dollars. Since I did not have enough of either currency, I needed to withdraw money at a bank.
After getting off the bus, I took a Grab to Victoria Chau Doc Hotel, where the ferry was scheduled to depart. I always appreciate how affordable motorcycle rides are in Vietnam.
When I arrived, I asked a receptionist about my ferry ticket, but he told me that there was an official ferry office and that I needed to go there instead. Since the hotel mainly serves tourists, he spoke English.
I checked the office hours and found that it was closed for lunch, so I decided to go to my hotel and check in.
A young woman at the front desk did not speak English and seemed a little panicked when I arrived. A few moments later, a young man came over and handled my check-in. His English was better, although still limited.
After checking my passport, he gave me a key and escorted me to my room. In the elevator, I asked how old he was. He said he was 28, the same age as me. I was still convinced that he looked much younger, although I could have been wrong.
The room was decent. I wished I could have stayed somewhere cheaper, but accommodation options in Chau Doc were limited. I do not think there were any hostels. When I searched on Trip.com, this hotel was the cheapest option available at about $20 per night. That was roughly four times what I usually paid for a hostel.
After dropping off my backpack, I went out for lunch. While walking around, I found an open-air local restaurant. Even though the staff looked at me as if I were a crazy person, I went in and ordered by pointing at the menu.
The food arrived, and it was nothing particularly special compared to the street food I had been eating: rice, some meat, vegetables, and pickles.
After lunch, I returned to the ferry office at 2:00 PM, when Google said it was supposed to reopen. However, it was still closed, so I gave up on confirming whether my booking had gone through successfully.
Instead, I headed to VP Bank, which is known among travelers for having low fees. There is a branch in Chau Doc.
As I entered, a young security guard stopped me and asked what I wanted. Using a translation app, I explained that I wanted to get U.S. dollars. Once he understood, he let me enter and asked me to wait.
The bank was quite busy. About ten minutes later, a woman who looked to be in her 30s and had a ponytail came to help me.
Although she spoke some English, we still relied on a translation app for most of our conversation. I explained what I wanted to do, and she told me she could exchange 3,780,000 VND for $140 USD.
I agreed and withdrew 3,800,000 VND from the ATM. She then handed me $140 and returned 20,000 VND as change.
Getting enough U.S. dollars was a huge relief. The market rate would have been about $143–144 for 3,780,000 VND, so I effectively lost around $3–4 in the exchange. Considering it was done at a bank, I thought that was reasonable.
That was the only important task I had planned in Chau Doc, so I was free for the rest of the day.
I spent some time at a coffee shop. Because it was monsoon season in southern Vietnam, a heavy rainstorm suddenly hit and lasted for about 30 minutes. I was glad to be indoors. People who entered the coffee shop were absolutely soaked.
Since I wanted to use up all of my remaining Vietnamese dong, I went to a restaurant with indoor seating where the food was more expensive than the street food I normally ate.
At the time, I thought I had at least 200,000 VND from the bank exchange, although I had actually received only 20,000 VND in change. I did not realize this until later.
Because of that misunderstanding, I ordered without paying much attention to the prices. I even ordered two dishes instead of one.
When the bill came, it was 60,000 VND (about $2.30). I handed over what I thought was a 200,000 VND bill, but it was actually a 20,000 VND bill.
Naturally, the cashier just stood there. I was thinking, “Is something wrong?”
She pointed at the bill, and I immediately realized my mistake. I quickly checked my wallet and, thank God, found a 50,000 VND bill.
After leaving the restaurant, I bought two bottles of water from a street vendor using almost all of my remaining cash. I actually had enough money for the second bottle, but I still tried to negotiate a lower price.
I returned to the hotel in the early evening and relaxed for the rest of the night, preparing for my trip to Cambodia early the next morning.
