Some shots from my recent three week trip. Amazing people, scenery, history and didn’t fell unsafe once!

EDIT: Thanks for the upvotes on this post, if you want to see more of my photos would appreciate the follow!

https://www.instagram.com/thomas_photodump?igsh=MTgycXZmdzN3dGM0cw==

So, what is everyone's suggestion to get people to visit Cambodia?

IMO the first step should be a competitive tourist visa/ visa excemption, similar to what Vietnam offers and not just 30 days visa on arrival or evisa.

Make it at least 60-90 days and restrict it to suitable countries. Not visa for everyone but then deny people at the airport with big drama like what they are doing now. It makes zero sense.

As a 50+ male who has lived in Cambodia on and off since 1996, I find these days I feel a bit uncomfortable and definitely judged by others. It is ALWAYS foreigners who make these assumptions, and never want to take time to actually chat and find out why I'm there. I've even been told to move on from a group of travellers because they "didn't like pedos"! I feel terrible, because I used to think the same thing of the older guys in the 90s... what goes around comes around I guess. For what its worth, I used to work for the UN, then MOEYS, and now I run a charity which brings Australian high school students over to build school playgrounds. It sucks because I fucking love this country, but I feel more uncomfortable as the years go on...

Cambodia’s tourist arrivals fell 47.8% as visitors vanished, while scam-centre concerns and structural weaknesses deepened the crisis.

I'm a 30-year-old Dutch guy currently travelling around Southeast Asia. I met a Cambodian woman (28) in Phnom Penh and have now spent roughly 12 days with her in total. I'm curious what people who actually live in Cambodia or understand the culture make of the situation.

We met on Bassac Lane in Phnom Penh. She wasn't working there; we just met while out.

One reason I've remained somewhat cautious is that she has quite a few connections to Phnom Penh nightlife. She goes clubbing fairly often, knows some girls who work in bars, dresses pretty provocatively when going out, and lives around one of the nightlife/bar streets.

She has also been open with me about having briefly worked at a lady bar herself. According to her, she worked there for only two days. She said she didn't like the work, and when her mother found out, her mother told her not to do it, so she quit. She also told me she never slept with a customer during those two days.

Obviously I only have her word for that, but she volunteered this information rather than me discovering it later.

That's partly why I've wondered whether she might currently or previously have been a freelancer/bar girl. I don't have a moral problem with sex work, but if I'm going to date someone seriously, honesty about it matters to me.

The confusing part is that after spending roughly 12 days together, her actual behaviour hasn't really matched what I expected if money was the main motivation.

We've spent a lot of time together, including travelling outside Phnom Penh. There is a language barrier, but it's not huge. We can communicate reasonably well, although occasionally things can get lost in translation.

We never went to fancy restaurants or did expensive activities. We mostly ate normal Cambodian food and did relatively cheap things. She never suggested expensive places or tried to get me to spend more money. Usually she asked me what I wanted to do and went along with that.

I paid for most of our accommodation, transport and meals because I'm obviously in a much better financial position. She has also paid for smaller things herself, like fruit and food, and once paid for our meal when I didn't have suitable cash. She never asked me to reimburse her.

She's never directly asked me for money, an allowance, a phone, rent, money for her family, etc. There haven't been any conveniently timed family emergencies either.

At one point, after an encounter involving someone she knows but doesn't particularly like, the subject of foreigners financially supporting Cambodian girlfriends came up. I was actually the one who explicitly told her that when I go back to Europe, I'm not going to financially support her or send her a monthly allowance.

She seemed surprised that I even brought it up and said she wasn't expecting me to do that. Her response was basically that if I had to financially support her from Europe, it wouldn't be a real relationship anyway.

That conversation actually reassured me quite a bit.

I've also met some of her friends and family through video calls. Her cousin has already asked whether we can come visit her for a while the next time I'm in Cambodia, and there has been talk about me meeting more of her family when I return.

One of her friends also cooked dinner for the three of us. Her friend didn't ask me for any money or anything in return. I voluntarily gave her some money afterward because she'd bought/prepared the food.

As for gifts, I bought the girl some clothes earlier in the trip worth around $40 simply because I felt like doing it. Before leaving I wanted to buy her some more clothes, but we ran out of time, so I gave her $100 instead. I also told her she could use some of it to buy something for the friend who cooked for us.

None of this was requested by her.

She says she runs an online cosmetics business and would eventually like to open a physical shop. She says her father owns around 40 acres of cashew plantations and her mother runs a small shop in their village.

She also told me she sends something like $800 per month to her parents. That number sounded surprisingly high to me given Cambodian incomes and her family's situation. However, with the language barrier, it's entirely possible I misunderstood the amount, frequency or exactly what she meant. So I'm not putting too much weight on that particular detail.

There have been some other small things that made me less suspicious. For example, she thought one of our drivers was overcharging us and was annoyed about it even though I was the one paying. She hasn't tried to steer me toward expensive restaurants, shopping or activities. Most of the time we've just eaten local food, walked around, travelled, relaxed, etc.

We recently talked about what happens after I leave Asia. She said she wants to be my girlfriend and proposed that for the next four months neither of us sees/sleeps with anyone else. I agreed. The basic understanding is that I should come back to Cambodia within those four months; otherwise she would understandably consider the relationship over.

She even jokingly said she'd "kill the girl" if I cheated on her, so her definition of exclusivity seems fairly unambiguous 😂

Before leaving I also gave her a small plushie, which she attached to her bag and has been carrying around.

I'm definitely attracted to her and I like her, but I'm trying not to become the stereotypical Western guy who spends two weeks in Southeast Asia, falls in love and suddenly loses all ability to think critically.

The possibilities I keep going back and forth between are:

She's genuinely into me, and I'm being overly suspicious because of where we met and her connections to the nightlife scene.

She genuinely likes me, but my relative wealth and/or the possibility of eventually having a better life are also part of the attraction.

I'm completely misreading the situation and there are cultural/contextual things here that someone familiar with Cambodia would spot immediately.

Obviously #1 and #2 aren't mutually exclusive either. I don't think someone considering financial security automatically means their feelings aren't genuine.

I'm not planning on sending her money, opening a business for her, sponsoring anything or making huge commitments anytime soon. My plan is basically to keep talking to her while I'm back in Europe, return to Cambodia within the next few months, spend more normal day-to-day time together and see whether everything remains consistent.

For people familiar with Cambodian dating culture, does anything here stand out as either a green or red flag?

I'm particularly curious about the nightlife aspect. How unusual is it for a normal 28-year-old Cambodian woman to regularly go clubbing, have friends/acquaintances who are bar girls, and have briefly worked in a lady bar herself without necessarily being a freelancer/sex worker?

And more generally, are there cultural things in what I've described that I'm interpreting through a Western lens and potentially misunderstanding?

I'm particularly interested in opinions from Cambodians, expats who have lived here for years, or people who've been in similar relationships. I'm not looking for either "all Cambodian women are scammers" or "just trust her bro." I'm trying to get a realistic read on the situation and figure out what I should pay attention to over the next few months.

What is up with the age limits at youth hostels? I get that party hostels will do an age cut off at 30. I, 66f, often rent private rooms in hostels to get the best of both worlds. I found a hostel in Siem Reap I like, but the age limit is 60. Wtf??

Basic question I know. Sorry I've never been to Cambodia before.

Got some USD from my post office in England and they're all in this condition. Asked for some better condition ones and they said "this is the best we can do".

Hi,Im a cambodian girl Lived here all my life so trust me when i say im a native and knows alot of of stuf. Feel free to ask me for any advice on places to stay where to go what to visit is it safe? dating cambo girl advice. anything i will be completely honest no bs no biased. im trying to improve my english by speaking it more so ig if youre asking for advice and there's error in my english pls let me know!

This is my second time visiting Cambodia. First time was last December, travelled from Italy to PP, Kampot, Sieam Reap and Koh Rong for almost a month, now in PP again for 4 days to catch my flight back to Italy after a month travelling Vietnam.
I am honestly almost shoked by the kindness and politeness of Cambodian people, so much so that sometimes I feel like I am about to cry.
I have travelled extensively around the world, and I can say without any doubt Cambodian are by far the nicest and kinest people I have ever met.
Doesn't matter whether in a big city or small village, people always smile at me, want to talk to me, greet me, wow. Coming from a big city in Italy (Milan) where everybody is always on the rush and minding his own business, this feels like another world to me.
I feel so welcome in this country that I want to come back a lot of times just to feel the kindness of the people on the streets, in the hotels, in restaurants. Wherever I go I am met with sincere smile and kindness that is almost overwhelming for someone coming from Europe.
Never have I have encountered a single person that tried to scam me as a tourist (compared to Vietnam), and instead it happened so many times I was invited by random people of all ages to share a beer or a meal with them wthout wanting anything in return.
Hell, a fee days ago I was in a restaurant near my hitel and paid in Riel. The waitress was short of 500 riels of change and told me she would go get the change from the store next to it, to which Insaid don't worry keep it (it's like 0.10€ lol), she said thank you so much sir. The next day I was randomly walking by the same street, the same waitress spotted me and came running to me to give me my 500 riel!
Despite I obviously make 10x in Italy as they probably make in Cambodia, they offered me a beer or something to eat for free and refuse to get my money when I wanted to pay them back, just saying it was their pleasure I was visiting their country.
I am really sorry this country sometimes gets a bad reputation as Scambodia due to the problems with scam centers run by Chinese mafia, but I want to say something to all cambodians: thank you so much for making everytine my experience in this beautiful country the best in my life, to make me realize that there is still some genuine kindness and love around the world, the world needs more people like cambodians to be a better place.
I hope Cambodians people can remain true to their kindhearted personality despite all the shit that is going on in the world and not be corrupted by mass tourism as I have experience in other SEA countries, where I basically felt just like a walking ATM to be used as a quick way to take some money frome me.
I will defintely return, and after visiting so many countries, I am thinking of making Cambodia as my usual vacation destination: not because there is much to see (sure Angkor Wat is amazing, but I have already visited all major tourist sposts around the country), but just to experience the warmth of its people.
Arkun, till the next time my beautiful friends 🙏🏻

Whenever I see Cambodia itineraries, most people spend a few days in Siem Reap for Angkor Wat and then move on to another country.

But Phnom Penh rarely seems to get the same attention.

Personally, I think that's a shame. Beyond its difficult history, Phnom Penh has a surprisingly vibrant café scene, excellent local food, beautiful riverside walks where the Mekong and Tonlé Sap meet, fascinating museums, and a much more local, everyday atmosphere than many visitors expect.

If you've been to Cambodia, was Phnom Penh worth visiting in your opinion?

What surprised you the most, or do you think it's okay to skip and spend more time in Siem Reap instead?

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501903461/cambodias-international-tourist-arrivals-plunge-45-in-the-first-quarter/

Shockingly bad numbers. But thank god they built these gigantic airports far outside Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

To assist all those people posting about scams in SEA and particularly Cambodia i offer the following definitions. If a tuk tuk asks for $5 after a ride that usually costs $2, you have been over-charged, not scammed. If someone pulls a gun on you and demands money you have been robbed, not scammed. If a begger asks you for money you (may) have been taken advantage of, not scammed. If your hotel charges you $20 /night but you found it on another website for $19, you are in a capitalist society, not scammed. If someone on a moto grabs that $2000 Iphone you were casually waving around on the street at 2AM, you have been robbed, not scammed Also. If you "had" $3000 in your wallet before you went for that happy ending massage and now have nothing but empty balls and an empty wallet you have been an d*ckhead, not scammed. There are scams out there, please be aware. But not everything is a scam, usually it's theft, stupidity or a combination of the 2.

I’ve been wondering why Kampot doesn’t seem to get as much attention from international travelers as Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.

It seems to have a pretty appealing mix like countryside, the river, nearby Bokor, pepper farms, and plenty of opportunities to just spend a few days without rushing from one attraction to another.

But when people talk about visiting Cambodia, Kampot often seems to be an afterthought, if it comes up at all.

Is it simply less famous, harder to fit into a typical itinerary, or is there actually less to do than people expect? And if you’ve visited, how many days would you recommend spending there?

This has been going on even before the problem with everyone's very favorite neighboring country.

Often when I read through travel-related subreddits I read stories about how foreigners experience terrible things in Cambodia. Especially when it comes to posts asking which countries were the absolute worst in their travels. Every time someone mentions Cambodia.

It's often about blatant child prostitution everywhere in bars and on the street. About people getting drugged, robbed, followed around by the "mafia", crazy medical things like flesh eating parasites, hostility ...

Many of these stories seem totally fake to me. Sure, Cambodia has it's problems but if you use common sense it's actually a safe country. Not only is it safe, it's also relaxed, easy to travel in and most of all, the people are some of the nicest in the entire world (at least regarding tourists).

What I wonder is, how come these stories always get spread? Is it people looking for attention? Is it coordinated?

I am going in November.

PP, SR, and Koh Rong

Hello

It's my first time in Cambodia; I plan to visit the capital and its surroundings and spend a weekend in Siem Reap and another in Kampot.

I plan to visit monuments, museums, and temples, as well as attend workshops, shows, and so on.

I should also mention that I love wandering aimlessly through the streets and chatting with the locals.

But for some reason I don't quite grasp, several people tell me it's too long, that I'll get bored... (nobody says that about Paris or Tokyo, for example). 😅

What do you think ?

Just curious to hear your stories! What brought you here over other countries, and what keeps you staying?

I arrived 5 days ago to Siem Reap and I have only had problems trying to pay for stuff.

My first mistake was relying on these pieces of shit AIs from Google and ChatGPT telling me I could use Moreta Pay just like in Vietnam to pay for stuff by scanning the code, made sure to checkout the website too stating earlier this year that they were supporting KHQR codes, so I trusted it. Oh surprise! I arrived and the app is displaying a message saying payments in Cambodia are temporarily unavailable, well shit. Used my MasterCard and the machine kept saying “Use a different card” switched to two other different cards, same shit.

Then I finally used a virtual card I have with a wallet I barely use, out of desperation and thank god that worked cause it was the bus from the airport and I was starting to get damn nervous.

Arrived to the hotel, couldn’t pay, nothing worked again, they were very sweet and nice and told me to sort it out and try again tomorrow. So I found this app “Bakong Tourist” did the whole KYC process, linked my cards and thankfully it worked at least enough for me to pay for my reservation.

Today that wonderful app decided to stop working! Yay! It has been displaying the error: Unable to get transaction fee. Whatever that means, Ive tried everything and it keeps happening.

I gave up and said ok let’s use the ATM (I always avoid getting cash if I can, cause my bank loves charging me hidden fees and make up stupid conversion rates) and the withdrawal fee was $23. What the fuck?

How is ANYONE using money here?? How are people paying for stuff? Do you just arrive with dollars or what? I am about to give up and cut my trip short and just leave the country cause I am spending way mooooore money than I expected, food and accommodation turned out being quite expensive on top of the $37/72 for the temples, Cambodia isn’t a cheap destination at all, I heard it was affordable and packed with tourists but this place feels kinda empty, I go to any restaurant, cafe, museum and often I am the only one there.

So it’s just been officially used as the main airport today 9th September, replacing PP airport. I am a foreigner and I heard it from a Cambodian friend who travels a lot and posted a story stating “RIP Phnom Penh Airport, thank you for all the memories”

So yeah, any thoughts or just meh?

This is one of the most beautiful airports I’ve seen but that’s about it…

• Stinking hot all over the terminal & dining area with only a few odd pockets having decent air conditioning
• Long empty terminal with lots of walking and possibly the most useless travelators in existence
• Many empty shops and restaurants
• Weird second floor islands in the dining area meaning you have to go down an escalator, cross the main floor, and go back up an escalator to reach the other side
• Crap wifi which doesn’t stay connected
• No seating anywhere except for a long hard bench running the length of the terminal
• Absolutely no power outlets anywhere in the terminal except for in restaurants (who ask you to purchase something) - what the hell??

The place is completely form over function and is genuinely disappointing for something so brand new

Most first-time visitors head straight to Siem Reap for Angkor Wat, but Cambodia has so much more to offer. From the relaxed riverside atmosphere of Kampot and the untouched beaches of Koh Rong, to the colonial charm of Battambang and the energy of Phnom Penh, every destination has its own personality.

I put together this infographic as a simple overview for anyone deciding where to go.

Which place surprised you the most? Or which destination do you think deserves more attention?