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Phnom Penh:
Capital of the Kingdom of
Cambodia

A mixture of Cambodian hospitality,
Asian exotica and Indochinese charm await the visitor to Phnom
Penh. Situated at the confluence of three great rivers - known
as the 'Chaktomuk' (four faces) or 'Quatre Bras' (four arms) of
the Mekong, Tonle Sap
and Bassac rivers - Phnom Penh is a city of more than 2 million
people, the capital of Cambodia and the country's
commercial, economic and
political hub. It is also comparatively new travel
destination. An adventure
destination
just a decade ago, the city is now a center of diverse economic
and urban development and is quickly morphing an air of edgy
chic with bistros and boutique
hotels lining the riverfront, smart
little silk boutiques and galleries
dotting the side streets, a budding arts scene and
a heady dusk-to-dawn nightlife.
As the capital city Phnom Penh is
fairly young, only rising to the role in 1866, but is still
steeped in history and offers several cultural and historical
sites. The city was under French colonial control from
1863-1953, flourished in independence in the 1960s, evacuated
under the Khmer Rouge in the late 70s and is now revitalized.
Much of the central city
including the Royal Palace
and
National Museum
was built during the French period. Both are open to visitors.
The National Museum in Phnom Penh is the best in the country,
displaying important Angkorian artifacts and rare pieces from
later periods. Historical sites from the Khmer Rouge period
include the
Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and
the Choeung Ek Memorial. Other historical sites
such as the old capital of Oudong and the Angkorian ruins
of Phnom Chisor and Phnom Da lie within an easy day-trip of
Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh is also the gateway to Cambodia...the
temples of Angkor
near Siem Reap City in the
west, the
beaches of
Sihanoukville and coastal towns on along the southern coast
(Kampot,
Kep and
Koh Kong,)
the minority peoples, jungles and wildlife of the northeast
provinces and a wide-open, unspoiled countryside of rice
paddies, little villages and lost temples across the country.
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