Cambodia's Expressways in 2026: What the New Roads Change for Travellers

For decades, getting around Cambodia meant slow, bumpy roads and journey times that could swallow a day. That is changing fast. Cambodia is building its first network of modern expressways, and the effects are already visible: the drive to the south coast has been transformed, a fast link to Vietnam is under construction, and a route toward the temples of Angkor is on the drawing board. For travellers in 2026, knowing what is open, what is coming and how to use it can reshape how you plan a trip.

What's Actually Open: The Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville Expressway

Cambodia's first expressway, linking the capital Phnom Penh to the coastal city of Sihanoukville, has been open since late 2022 and is now a fixture of southern travel. Running for around 190 kilometres, this Chinese-built toll road has slashed a journey that once took five to six hours on the congested National Road 4 to roughly two hours of smooth, fast driving.

For travellers, this is the single most useful piece of road infrastructure in the country. It makes the southern coast and its islands dramatically more accessible from the capital, and express bus services now use it to offer fast, comfortable connections. If you are heading south, this expressway is almost always the quickest way down.

How It Changes a Trip to the South Coast

The practical effect is to bring Cambodia's coast within easy reach of Phnom Penh. Sihanoukville is the gateway to the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem, and the faster road makes a coast-and-islands leg far simpler to build into an itinerary. It also eases access to the quieter southern towns; our guide to Kampot and Kep, Cambodia's slow coast covers the gentler alternatives to Sihanoukville that reward a slower pace. The expressway does not reach Kampot and Kep directly, but by speeding the first leg out of the capital it shortens the whole journey south.

What's Coming: The Phnom Penh–Bavet Expressway

The next major project is a second expressway running south-east from Phnom Penh to Bavet, on the Vietnamese border opposite Moc Bai. Around 135 kilometres long and Chinese-financed, it broke ground in 2023 and is progressing toward completion in the 2026–2027 window. When finished, it will dramatically speed up overland travel between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City, one of the busiest cross-border routes in the region, cutting hours from a journey that many travellers make by bus. If you are planning a Cambodia–Vietnam overland trip, this is the corridor to watch.

The Bigger Plan: Siem Reap and Poipet

The most ambitious project is still in the planning stages: a long expressway linking Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, home of Angkor, and on to Poipet at the Thai border. At around 400 kilometres, it would connect the capital to the country's most visited destination and the main overland gateway to Thailand. It is a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar undertaking and will not be open for some time, but its eventual completion would put Angkor within a few hours' fast drive of Phnom Penh and reshape the classic Cambodia loop.

Who Can Use the Expressways (and Who Can't)

An important practical point: these are true expressways, not open to everyone. They are restricted to cars, buses and trucks, with minimum speed limits, and motorbikes and other slow vehicles are not permitted. This matters for travellers, because Cambodia is a country where many independent visitors get around by motorbike.

If you are riding a motorbike south, you cannot use the expressway and will take the old national road instead. If you are travelling by car, private taxi or express bus, you can and usually should use the expressway for the time it saves.

Tolls, Buses and How to Ride Them

The expressways are toll roads, with charges collected at entry and exit; for most travellers this is invisible, folded into a bus ticket or a private car hire. The easiest way to benefit is simply to book an express bus or a private car for the Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville run and let the operator handle the toll. Journey times are far more predictable than on the old roads, which is a real bonus when you have a boat to the islands to catch. Our guide to travelling Cambodia overland explains how buses, shared taxis and boats fit together across the country.

The Slow-Travel Paradox of Faster Roads

There is a tension worth naming. Faster roads are, on the face of it, the opposite of slow travel. But used well, they are a gift to it: the time you save crossing a dull stretch of highway is time you can spend lingering where it matters. The expressway is not for savouring; it is for getting the transit over with so you can slow down at the destination. Cambodia's new roads are also part of a broader shift, drawing more visitors and investment to the coast, a trend our analysis of why Cambodia's coast is rising as Angkor cools explores in depth.

What This Means for Your 2026 Trip

The takeaway for 2026 is practical. Use the Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville Expressway to make the south coast and islands an easy addition to a trip. Keep an eye on the Phnom Penh–Bavet expressway if you are combining Cambodia with Vietnam overland. And do not expect the Siem Reap expressway yet; the classic road or a short flight remains the way to Angkor. Above all, treat the expressways as tools to buy back time for the slow parts of your journey.

A Country Being Rewired

Cambodia's expressway programme is part of a wider infrastructure push that is quietly rewiring the country. For most of its modern history, Cambodia has had some of the weakest road links in the region, a legacy of war and underinvestment that left even major routes slow and unreliable. The current wave of building, much of it financed and constructed by China as part of its regional infrastructure ambitions, is closing that gap at speed. New expressways, upgraded national roads and a new international airport near Phnom Penh are together reshaping how people and goods move. For the traveller, the cumulative effect over the coming years will be a Cambodia that is markedly easier and faster to get around than the one described in older guidebooks.

The Old Roads Still Matter

It is worth remembering that the expressways cover only a few key corridors, and that most of Cambodia still runs on its older national and provincial roads. For much of the slow-travel Cambodia worth seeking out, the Mekong towns, the Cardamom forests, the rural north-east, you will be on ordinary roads, some smooth and some rough, sharing the tarmac with motorbikes, ox-carts and everything in between. This is not a drawback; these roads are where much of the country's life happens, and travelling them is part of seeing Cambodia honestly. The expressways simply take the tedium out of the long, dull connecting legs so you have more time for the rest.

Planning Journeys in a Changing Network

Because the network is expanding year by year, the smart approach is to check the current state of play when you plan, rather than relying on older advice. What was a grinding six-hour bus ride a few years ago may now be a two-hour glide; what is a slow border crossing today may be transformed within a year or two. When booking transport, ask whether a service uses the expressway, as this can make a large difference to journey time and comfort. And build a little flexibility into overland plans that depend on projects still under construction, since completion dates in the region have a habit of moving.

A Region Racing to Connect

Cambodia's roads are only one strand of a Southeast Asian push to knit the region together with fast infrastructure, and travellers will increasingly feel the effects across borders. The Phnom Penh–Bavet expressway will one day meet Vietnam's own expressway network reaching toward Ho Chi Minh City, and similar projects are advancing in Laos and Thailand. For the overland traveller, this means the classic Indochina loop is slowly being rewired, with journeys that once took gruelling days compressed into comfortable hours. The trade-off, familiar by now, is that speed and scenery rarely travel together. As these corridors open, the temptation will be to rush between capitals; the slow traveller's discipline is to use the fast roads to reach a region and then leave them behind, dropping onto the old highways and river routes where the real texture of Cambodia still lives. The expressways are best understood not as the trip itself but as the means of buying time for it.

What to Do Next

1. For the south coast and islands, book an express bus or private car on the Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville Expressway to cut the journey to around two hours.
2. If travelling by motorbike, remember you cannot use the expressway and will take the old national road instead.
3. Watch the Phnom Penh–Bavet expressway if you plan a Cambodia–Vietnam overland trip, as it will speed the route toward Ho Chi Minh City.
4. Do not count on a Siem Reap expressway yet; use the existing road or a short flight for Angkor.
5. Plan the wider route with our Cambodia plan-your-journey resources and let the fast roads buy time for slow days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville expressway open?

Yes. Cambodia's first expressway, linking Phnom Penh to the coastal city of Sihanoukville, has been open since late 2022. Running around 190 kilometres, it cuts a journey that once took five to six hours to roughly two hours. Express buses and private cars use it, making the south coast far more accessible from the capital.

Can I use Cambodia's expressways on a motorbike?

No. The expressways are restricted to cars, buses and trucks, with minimum speed limits, and motorbikes are not permitted. If you are riding a motorbike south, you will take the older National Road 4 instead. Travellers by car, private taxi or express bus can and usually should use the expressway.

When will the Phnom Penh–Bavet expressway open?

The Phnom Penh–Bavet expressway, running south-east toward the Vietnamese border, broke ground in 2023 and is progressing toward completion in roughly the 2026 to 2027 window. When finished it will significantly speed up overland travel between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City, though dates on such projects can shift.

Is there an expressway to Siem Reap and Angkor?

Not yet. A long expressway linking Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and on to Poipet at the Thai border is planned but still in early stages, and it will not be open for some time. For now, reaching Angkor means the existing national road or a short domestic flight from Phnom Penh.

Do the expressways cost money to use?

Yes, they are toll roads with charges collected at entry and exit. For most travellers this is invisible, as it is included in an express bus ticket or a private car hire. Booking a bus or car for the Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville run is the simplest way to benefit without dealing with tolls yourself.

Are the expressways worth using for slow travellers?

Yes, used wisely. Faster roads may seem contrary to slow travel, but the time saved crossing dull highway is time you can spend lingering at your destination. Use the expressway to get transit out of the way quickly, then slow right down where it counts, on the coast, the islands or the quieter southern towns.