Starting early August Virak Buntham expanded their network, adding Sem Monorom and Ban Lung to their Phnom Penh base. Since I was in Phnom Penh and had to travel to the Northeast I decided to check on their service instead of using my regular van. Virak Buntham has both (Ford) van services and (evening) bus services, I tried the van service.
Since I stayed close to the night market I decided to buy my ticket on the corner night market (str. 106) - riverside. Buying a ticket was easy enough, they even told me there was a 30% discount during August that also applied to me, maybe because I spoke Khmer. I later found out all the other foreigners in the van had been charged full price. I bought the ticket for 10 USD (a very decent price, normal price 15 USD) and was told I had to go either to their bus station behind Wat Phnom to catch my 7.30 service, or be at the selling point at 7 AM in which case they would take me there. I got a ticket with my seat number on it, as well as my destination, and was out in a few minutes.
The trip:
Yes, they took me to the other bus station on time, and on their main station I had to wait for a while. Looking at the people waiting there Virak Buntham mainly targets tourists, since I've never seen so many tourists waiting for a van to the Northeast. Waiting took longer than expected, the van finally left at 7.45 - about 15 minutes late. So the trip started...
Let's start with the pro's...
- The seats in the van are pretty comfortable and spacious. Virak Buntham claim these a are step up compared to standard seats, and that's true. Even better, all seats (at least the seats I saw) have a safety belt. Seating was according to the number on your ticket so buying in advance pays off if you prefer a certain seat (like me).
-The driver was excellent, simply excellent. No crazy overtaking, no excessive speeding, no ear damaging music (actually, in the bus there was a sticker 'please keep quiet' present...). The driving style alone (OK, might have been just this driver... but still...) was just excellent, maybe the best I've experienced in a Cambodian van in over 7 years.
-The van had some luggage space in the back (more than most), meaning the van was not packed with boxes, bags and an occasional chicken under the chair.
-No passengers were picked up during the trip, or attempts were made by the driver, allowing for a relatively fast trip.
-A free bottle of water was offered, a nice touch, will save you 500-1000r on the way.....
But there's some negatives...
-Only in the van, when talking to others, I found out this was a combined service to both Sem Monorom and Ban Lung, and this applies to all Virak Buntham services (including the buses). This means for travellers to (or from) Ban Lung extra km's / time are added to trip compared to other services travelling directly taking the Kratie - Oh Pong Moan route. Arrival time in Ban Lung was 3 PM which is not bad considered the departure time and the extra stretch of road.
-The promised wifi in the van was non-existent. Even if the wifi would have been in place (I noticed Virak Buntham uses a system based on a 3G dongle system in another van that took me to bus station) large stretches of the trip there would have been no wifi available because of lack of 3G/Mobile signal.
Overall...
A nice van with an excellent driver, recommended if you don't care about the extra stretch of road because of the stop in Sem Monorom. For those suffering from car sickness, take another service. The road leading to Sem Monorom is one of the loveliest in Cambodia, but it's also a classical winding road leading into the mountains, and it might not suit you, the road between Oh Pong Moan and Ban Lung is much, much smoother. Recommended if you choose comfort and safety over speed.
New player plying the roads to the Northeast - Virak Buntham - a review
Correction: the big buses (currently night service only) do not have a combined Ban Lung - Sem Monorom service, these travel the regular Phnom Penh - Kratie - Oh Pong Moan - Ban Lung route and vv, but all the vans go through Sem Monorom.
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- 5 minutes to kill
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Virak Buntham express minivans have been doing the route Phnom Penh to Sen Monorom for many years.
Most comfortable seats in any minivan doing this route. Seats 3-5 have the most legroom.
Some drivers are good, some are not. I prefer to catch the morning service. If you catch the afternoon service the driver has just driven 5.5 hours in the opposite direction.
Most comfortable seats in any minivan doing this route. Seats 3-5 have the most legroom.
Some drivers are good, some are not. I prefer to catch the morning service. If you catch the afternoon service the driver has just driven 5.5 hours in the opposite direction.
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