🚌 Ban Hat Lek Border Check Point

Terrestrial · Thailand

Hat Lek–Cham Yeam is the Gulf of Thailand coast crossing between Trat Province (Thailand) and Koh Kong Province (Cambodia), best known as the crossing used by travellers island-hopping from Koh Chang to the Cambodian coast. The Thai side is a small, sleepy checkpoint; Hat Lek is reached by songthaew from Trat town (about 1.5 hours). On the Cambodian side, Cham Yeam feeds directly into Koh Kong town, from where taxis and minibuses depart for Phnom Penh (5–6 hours) and Sihanoukville (4–5 hours). The border is open daily 7:00 to 22:00 and Cambodia visa-on-arrival and e-Visa are available. The crossing is calm, relatively uncrowded, and officials are generally professional — notably more relaxed than the Poipet madness. Occasional minor 'overtime fees' occur but the overall level of hassle is low. The natural setting — mangroves, fishing boats, and the Gulf of Thailand on one side, the forested Cardamom foothills on the other — gives this crossing a genuinely pleasant character.