Bangkok to Siem Reap is flight-only: the land borders are still closed
Where things stand
All land border checkpoints between Thailand and Cambodia, including the main Poipet–Aranyaprathet crossing, have been closed since late June 2025.
In August 2026 Thai officials confirmed that the checkpoints remain closed. Social-media posts saying the crossings had reopened are not correct.
For travellers the situation is simple: the land route is unavailable and no reopening date has been announced.
What this does to a classic itinerary
The overland route between Bangkok and Siem Reap is currently unavailable. Neither can the reverse, nor any route that stitches Thailand and Cambodia together by road or rail.
The replacement is a flight. Thai Airways, Cambodia Angkor Air and AirAsia all serve the corridor. Realistically it adds somewhere around US$150–200 per person compared with the old bus fare, plus airport time at both ends.
If you are planning a multi-country trip, the cleaner structure now is to treat Thailand and Cambodia as separate air segments, and to take your overland leg between Cambodia and Vietnam or Laos instead.
Read the advisories carefully — the geography matters
Several governments, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, advise against all travel to areas within roughly 50 km of the Cambodia–Thailand border. Those advisories are specific to the border zone.
Siem Reap is around 140 km from the nearest affected area. Angkor Archaeological Park, Phnom Penh and the southern islands sit outside the advisory zone, and reporting from the ground describes tours, markets and daily life running normally.
These advisories apply to the named border areas rather than to Cambodia as a whole. Travellers should consult the current advisory issued for their own nationality and note the specific provinces listed.
The overland routes that do still work
Cambodia's other land borders are not affected. The Vietnam–Cambodia crossings are open — Bavet–Moc Bai, on the road between Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh, is the busiest — and Vietnam's e-visa is accepted at 27 land borders.
The Laos–Cambodia crossing at Nong Nok Khiene–Trapeang Kriel is likewise unaffected.
So an overland trip through the region is still perfectly possible. It just cannot include a Thailand–Cambodia land leg. A Vietnam–Cambodia loop, with Thailand flown separately, is the shape that works in 2026.
Timeline
The checkpoints closed in late June 2025. They remained closed through the first half of 2026 and into August.
No reopening date has been announced.
If you are a PacificAir reader, what to do today
Budget Bangkok–Siem Reap as a flight, roughly US$150–200 per person above the old overland cost.
Read your own government's current advisory for both countries and note the named provinces before you decide anything. Siem Reap and Angkor are not in the advisory zone.
If any part of your route runs near the border provinces, plan it again so it stays well away from them.
References
- Khmer Times — Anutin says ‘no reopening’ of border with Cambodia despite economic strain
- Government of Canada — Travel advice and advisories for Cambodia
- U.S. Department of State — Cambodia travel advisory
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Cambodia travel advice
- Australian Government Smartraveller — Cambodia