Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, retains an undeniable charm despite the desperate and distressing past. Phnom Penh offers the visitors everything: the past and the present, the poverty and the excess, the East and the West.

Sitting at the confluence of the Tonle Bassac and the Tonle Sap Rivers, for long Phnom Penh has been considered the loveliest cities of Indochina. The crumbling colonial architecture makes some parts of the city very European, while the several impressive wats here and there confirm the truly traditional Khmer culture.

Phnom Penh Cambodia

The riverfront of Phnom Penh lined with swaying palm, side walk cafés and restaurants is undoubtedly the most splendid in Asia and should not be missed while you are here. Other sites to be visited in town include Wat Phnom, Wat Ounalom, Wat Lang Ka, the Silver Pagoda, the Royal Palace, and the National Museum. The Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Field of Choeung Ek where 17,000 victims were tortured and executed by the Khmer Rouge during the genocide could also be on the itinerary.

The silver pagoda in Phnom Penh

All in all, Phnom Penh is rising over all the destruction of the painful past, continuing to be one of the most beautiful cities in Asia. Phnom Penh therefore can also be the evidence of the Khmers’ strength and determination to build up their country back to glory. The visitor should think carefully about giving enough time for Phnom Penh on the holidays, otherwise some may regret later.

Wat Phnom where the name of the city originated from