On September 4, the first bus rolled out of a coach station in Vietnam’s south-western province of Long An and headed for the Cambodian capital city Phnom Penh, launching a new route.

The Long An provincial Transport Department Director, Luu Dinh Khan, said two coaches accommodating up to 45 passengers each will leave the provincial station at 6h45’ a.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrive in Phnom Penh station at 1.30 p.m. on the same day.

Coaches will make the return trip on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The journey will take passengers over 300 km, with two stops-- Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodia ’s Svay Rieng province--at a cost of just 12 USD, including border gate crossing procedure fees.

The new route is easily accessible to Vietnamese and Cambodian citizens, who are exempt from entrance visa fees.

The opening of the new route aims to boost trade and opportunities for cultural studies among Vietnamese and Cambodians, especially those in several Mekong Delta provinces and Cambodian border provinces, Khan concluded./.