Day trip to Angkor Wat

When is the trip?
Currently there is a direct daily roundtrip flight from Ho Chi Minh SGN airport to Siem Reap. Operated by Cambodia Ankor Air. You can then take a ten minute taxi ride from there to Angor Wat.

Ah, I don't know how I missed that - when I checked flights, on first glance, none of the times worked. Thank you for your help, we'll be taking that!

You will need to review visa requirements for your nationality. Mosr require one. You also want to check whether they have reinstated the eVisa system for Cambodia, as it was stopped during pandemic.

Keep in mind that Angkor Wat is a huge temple complex, not just the one temple. And it is very spread out- it's been a few years since we were there but I recall it taking about an hour to get to some of the farther out temples. But if you had one long, well planned out day, you could probably get 2-3 of the main temples in. We spent a week there, but most days were spent at Angkor Wat in the morning and something else (pool, cooking class,.etc) in the afternoon. It's an amazing place.

You really need to look at the distance between Ho Chi Minh and Angkor Wat. I think that may say it all. For a day trip.

Siem Reap is certainly ready for tourism, at any given price level. Because of heat, humidity, sun, and crowding, it is normal to visit the temples just after dawn. And you have to go to the administration building and wait in a long line for a site ticket before entering. Even aside from the mileage to get there from Vietnam, it does not seem like a good plan. You should spend the night before.

@treemoss2, we'd be flying in if possible, and there are some flights that work for us. It'll definitely be crammed, but we don't have much time...

Thanks to all for the advice!

Take a very close look at the flight schedule - it looks like the direct flights from Ho Chi Minh don't leave until the afternoon and the return direct flights return about two hours later. All other flight choices have a stop that adds multiple hours to travel time. And don't forget you have to plan for security at the airport(s) and getting the Cambodia visa (when I went, that process took about an hour due to multiple arriving flights). If you don't have much give in your current schedule, save it for a future trip.