Crossing the border from 4000 Islands (Laos) to Cambodia and ongoing conflict

Hi, I’m arriving soon in southern Laos and the 4000 Islands, with plans to head to Cambodia next. The latest news I got this morning (Paksé, La Boulange) isn’t great—the Cambodian border is also in a latent conflict with Laos for the same reasons as with Thailand...

So, what’s the best site to check for updates on the border opening? Since the situation isn’t stable right now and could change from one day to the next?

Thanks for your input.

Hi there,

There’s absolutely no conflict between Laos and Cambodia—whoever gave you that info is completely wrong. I have no idea where they got that from... As for the Thailand/Cambodia conflict, a ceasefire was signed at the end of December and has held since. There’s no risk at all in crossing the Laos/Cambodia border, which is, of course, open (and has never closed, despite what your informants in Paksé might say!). From the 4000 Islands, companies offer direct routes to Stung Treng, Siem Reap, Kratie, Ratanakiri, Mondolkiri, or even straight to Phnom Penh. Safe travels! !

According to the owner of Boulange, the Cambodians have recently taken back a bit of territory from Laos. They’re applying a similar approach to what Thailand does with them, since the border issue is exactly the same.

The Laos-Cambodia border conflict involves disputes over territorial claims and border demarcation, particularly in areas like Stung Treng. Tensions have historically arisen from irredentist feelings and unresolved issues stemming from colonial-era agreements.

Source: Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia%E2%80%93Laos_border?wprov=sfla1

So, there’s no "official" conflict, but the situation is very tense and could potentially escalate. Especially since this border isn’t that far from the Thailand-Cambodia border!

Hence my question...

No, that’s not true—it’s just Thai propaganda. Back in July, Thai media spread a rumor that Cambodia had attacked Laos (or the other way around, I can’t remember), but it was pure nonsense aimed at the Thai population. Obviously, it was never confirmed by any international media.

Okay, possible the guy was misinformed...

Thanks for your feedback, it reassures me, even though I wasn’t really that worried. 🙂

Everything is peaceful, the weather is nice and not too hot—enjoy your trip! 😎

When you get to the 4000 Islands (and even in Pakse), ask the agencies that handle daily transfers to Cambodia—their info should be reliable!

Hi, Given the recent geopolitical tensions, is it still possible to visit the area around the Banteay Chhmar temple and the Chi Phat region today?

Best regards,

Hi there, no problem visiting Chi Phat, but it's best to avoid going all the way to the border town of Koh Kong, even though the clashes at the border stopped three weeks ago. For Banteay Chhmar, it's really close to a contested border area, so while everything is probably very calm on-site right now, you never know if or when hostilities might flare up again. I’d recommend waiting for updates from other travelers before heading to Banteay Chhmar. Have a great Sunday! !

Hello. Laos and Cambodia are two friendly countries, and the 4000 Islands region has long been conflict-free. While Banteay Chhmar (the province) has experienced some tensions, the temple is far from the border! As for Preah Vihear, which I finally managed to visit two years ago after two previous attempts a few years earlier, you can feel and see the difference. The combat positions are visible as soon as you arrive on-site, and you sense that both countries are keeping an eye on each other and staying on high alert. But if they let you in, it means you’ll be able to visit this magnificent site without any issues. Just 2 km from the temple, you’ll have already forgotten that this could be a potential skirmish zone. Back in 1993, I visited Angkor while being cautious of landmines, and the guide determined our route based on the sound of cannons trying to block the last attacks by the Khmer Rouge. Rest assured, both sides take care of tourists. If tensions arise, you’ll be stopped. This is the ideal time because there are few visitors. Safe travels! Eric

Thanks Eric for your insightful reply.

Hi there, For me, Chi Path is quite far from the tension zones and in a remote area—plus, there’s nothing to covet or contest in Chi Path. That said, the site and its surroundings, which I visited in 2014, left a very pleasant memory. I opted for the 5-day/4-night trip, including 2 nights in a hammock in the forest. Safe travels, Eric

Thanks for your reply. Did you go through an agency that organized everything to get to Chi Phat? Which one, if possible? Thanks in advance, Eric

Hi again, Back then, I went through a Vietnamese friend who worked at a French agency that no longer exists. However, she worked with the Cambodian agency Hanuman Tourism, which had an office in Phnom Penh and another in Siem Reap.

Company name: Hanuman Tourism Co., Ltd Year established: 1990 Legal structure (SA, Sarl, etc.): LLC Staff: 65 Last name: Tan First name: Sotho Address: 12, Street 310 City: Phnom Penh Country: Cambodia Tel.: +855 23 218 396 Email: info@hanumantourism.com / sales@hanumantourism.com Website: www.hanuman.travel

Since I had inquired about Chi Path directly, she offered to handle that part separately to avoid Hanuman taking a commission. Direct inquiries gave precise and very detailed info—all types of treks and number of days, or types of stays. They specified what was provided and what they could supply, like backpacks, sleeping bags, blankets, hammocks for sleeping, water bottles, lamps, etc. There’s a guide and a cook included, and if you want a porter (just a heads-up—you’ll need to carry your own water). There were two of us, so we had 12 bottles and had to boil river water.

At the time: plan for a 2-hour pirogue ride from the village of Andoung Teuk to Chi Path. Important—don’t wait on the village bridge but under it!! There was no electricity in Chi Path, so everything was paid in cash—plan accordingly.

But that was 10 years ago, and things may have changed! If you run into any issues, I have other contacts for reaching Chi Path that I’d reached out to back then, plus a recent contact from my last trip to Cambodia in 2023.

Happy planning!

Hi Eric,

Access to Prasat Preah Vihear is completely forbidden at the moment, first for security reasons after the recent clashes, and then because of the work that will need to be done since the temple was seriously damaged by Thai artillery. UNESCO will have quite a bit of work on their hands! As for Banteay Chhmar, I don’t know what the direct impacts of the bombings were (Banteay Meanchey province was heavily bombed by Thai aviation, and Banteay Chhmar is only 20 km from the border). Maybe there were none, but we can imagine that the population—or at least part of it—was evacuated in December, like half a million Cambodians from the border areas.

Hi Erwan, Thanks for your valuable insights and especially for recent observations. Regarding Preah Vihear, I’ve seen videos and photos of the damage, particularly to one of the temples on the site. For Banteay Chhmar, I haven’t seen any photos! But let’s hope it’s been preserved—20 km from the border is far, unless there’s been an airstrike. That said, you’re right about the significant displacement of such a resilient and unfortunately often caught-in-the-crossfire population. There are twice as many displaced people in Cambodia as in Thailand, and some villages are even split in two. From afar, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction between real info and misinformation.

He set up his own site with all the info: http://chi-phat.org/

(even if it doesn’t support HTTPS! 😅)

I haven’t seen/read about any damage to Banteay Chhmar either. Yet when temples like Preah Vihear or Ta Krobey were damaged, it was all over the national media. So we can assume the temple is intact! However, it’s possible that villagers fled the fighting near the border as a precaution and only recently returned, but I imagine tourist services are still running.

Thanks Pascal! This will help future travelers heading to Chi Path. The site has improved—there’s now Wi-Fi and a bit of electricity. Basically, the concept remains the same with à la carte activities for varying durations. For treks, they offer sleeping in the base camp huts. Back in 2014, we preferred sleeping in the open forest with the guide, cook, and porter—it was airier and smelled like the forest!!! The huts aren’t enclosed, so some animals take refuge there between groups of hikers, and let’s just say they don’t clean up before leaving!! For the campfire evening in the forest, I bought a small bottle of rice alcohol, and the team really appreciated it, even though we drank in moderation. Thanks for the link—it’s new, but the old one redirects to the new one. Eric