Understand
In a land with thousands of years of history, Sihanoukville is a colorful but tragic upstart. A mere fifty years ago, a French-Cambodian construction carved a camp out of the jungle and started building the first deep-sea port of a newly independent Cambodia. Named Sihanoukville in 1964 after the ruling prince of the kingdom, the booming port and its golden beaches soon drew Cambodia's jetsetting elite, spawning the first Angkor Beer brewery and the modernist seven-story Independence Hotel which, claim locals, even played host to Jacqueline Kennedy on her whirlwind tour of Cambodia in 1967.
Alas, the party came to an abrupt end in 1970 when Sihanouk was deposed in a coup and Cambodia descended into civil war. The town – renamed Kompong Som – soon fell on hard times: the victorious Khmer Rouge used the Independence Hotel for target practice and, when they made the mistake of hijacking an American container ship, the port was bombed by the U.S. Air Force. Even after Pol Pot's regime was driven from power, the bumpy highway to the capital was long notorious for banditry and the beaches stayed empty.
Peace returned in 1997 and in the ensuing ten years Sihanoukville has been busy picking up the pieces. First visited only by a few intrepid backpackers, guidebooks still talk of walls pockmarked by bullets, but any signs of war are hard to spot in today's Sihanoukville, whose new symbol seems to be the construction site. More and more Khmers and expats have settled down to run hotels, bars and restaurants, and the buzz of what the New York Times dubbed "Asia's next trendsetting beach" is starting to spread far and wide. After 30 years of housing only ghosts, the Independence Hotel is wrapped in scaffolding and scheduled to be rise from the ashes soon.
Get in
By plane
The small Sihanoukville Airport ( | ) is located 17km to the east of town, on the edge of Ream National Park. Long closed to scheduled flights, domestic airline PMT started shuttle flights between Sihanoukville and Siem Reap around three times a week. By late 2007, larger airplanes like the Boeing 737 will be able to use the airport and international routes will be opened then, with Bangkok Airways reportedly planning to be among the first to fly in.
By bus
From Phnom Penh: National route 4 from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville is one of Cambodia's best roads. There are regular bus services with Sorya and GST from Phnom Penh (Central Market) which takes about 4 hours at a cost of 15000 Riel, or US$4 through a guesthouse. The first bus leaves at 7:15 AM, the last one at 2:30 PM, and the Snooky terminals for both companies are a few metres apart on Ekareach St. It's worth reserving the day before or at least a few hours in advance to be sure of a seat. Mekong Express also runs two buses a day for US$6, as does Capitol Guesthouse.
From Koh Kong / Hat Lek (border crossing with Thailand): for the most part this road is unsealed and the condition depends on the weather and frequency/scale of maintenance. "Local" and "Tourist" minibuses service this route; they are always jam-packed, and the trip can be uncomfortable. "Local" service price depends on how much space you want (a whole seat, half a seat, or a space on the roof); foreigners can expect to pay around US$6-8. The journey involves four ferry crossings; the scenery is mixed, but does offer some moderately spectacular views at the Koh Kong end.
By taxi
A chartered taxi from Phnom Penh's Central Market can do the trip in less than three hours and will cost anywhere from US$25-40, depending on the gas price of the day and how beat up the vehicle is. You can reduce the price by sharing seats, but be warned that Khmers will squeeze in as many six people into the car, so most people will need to buy two seats for comfort.
By boat
From Koh Kong / Hat Lek (border crossing with Thailand): weather permitting, a daily fast ferry departs from Koh Kong for Sihanoukville at 08:00 and from Sihanoukville for Koh Kong at noon. The journey usually takes about 4-4.5 hours and stops once to pick up/drop off supplies at an outlying island; tickets for foreigners cost US$12 (or 500 baht). Minibuses and moto-taxis shuttle passengers from the ferry to the border crossing; a moto-taxi should cost 50 baht. On the Thai side, minibuses run to Trat (110 baht), direct to Laem Ngop (for ferries to Ko Chang), and direct to Bangkok. If taking the minibus to Trat, note that you will arrive at 18:00-19:00 by which time the only long haul bus services are to Bangkok. In some circumstances it's worth spending a night in Koh Kong or Trat.
By train
There are no longer any passenger services on the Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville railway line. It may be possible to hitch a ride with the freight train security guards - enquire locally for further information.
Get around
Distances between the beaches are a little too long to walk comfortably, but getting around is easy, as the roads are wide and bike taxis (motodop) are everywhere. The standard price is US$1 per trip, although expect to haggle at night or if the distance is long. They'll gladly pile on two people and their luggage too. For larger groups, car taxis can be called up by phone (flat US$5 to most places around town) and there are a few tuk-tuks lurking about too.
See
The reason to visit Sihanoukville is the beaches. Not as crowded as some of the Thai resorts, but they can be cramped on weekends and holidays. For diving go to one of the nearby islands. The town itself doesn't offer much to see. From north to south, the beaches are:
Other places of interest include:
Do
Buy
There are several small shops in the town, plus a standard Cambodian market ('Psaa Leu'). Handicrafts organization Rajana has a branch above the Starfish Cafe.
Several other clothing and souvenir shops are starting to open, both downtown and around the Victory Hill and Ocheteaul area as well.
ATM machines can now be found throughout Snooky. Downtown, ANZ Bank has two and Canadia Bank has one and Acleda Bank has one. There's also one at CCS Hotel and one at the Golden Sands Hotel, Occheuteal Beach.
Eat
Along the beaches there are many food stalls and some restaurants, especially at Ochheuteal beach. There are a good many restaurants in town as well. Sihanoukville boasts a surprisingly diverse set of cuisines.
Drink
Sleep
Accommodation ranges from basic guest houses on the beach to four-star resorts. There's no shortage of guesthouses and pre-booking is only necessary at peak times such as at New Year.
Budget
Common on some beaches are "free accommodation" options, where budget traveller can get a very basic room for free and pay only for their meals.
Mid-range
Splurge
There's only one game in town right now, but the competition should heat up in 2007 when the Independence Hotel and the as yet unnamed Malaysian-run golf resort open.
Stay healthy
Medical services in Sihanoukville are very limited and basic. The best Medical service is offered by the CT Clinic. This is the only one trusted by Expats who live in Sihanoukville. The public hospital should be avoided at all costs, as it is terrible. In case of major trouble evacuation is necessary.
Contact
Sihanoukville area code is 034.
Internet
There are many Internet cafes in Sihanoukville, some guesthouses and many hotels offer the facility. The best is Ana Internet in the town centre between Club Sandwich and The Orange Mini Mart. They can also book flights and renew visas there.
Post
The new main Post Office is now near the Victory Park on the left hand side of the road as you go to Vicory hill.
Embassies
The Vietnamese consulate on Ekareach Street issues 30 day tourist visas on a same-day basis. As of March 2007, the cost was US$27 for Cambodians, US$35 for foreigners. The opening times are 10am-12pm and 2pm to 4pm Monday to Saturday.
Get out
Sihanoukville, also known as Kampong Som, or Kampong Saom, is a port city in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. The city was founded in 1964 to be the only deep water port in Cambodia and its beaches are making it more popular as a tourist destination. According to the Royal Government of Cambodia some 320,000 tourists visited Sihanoukville in 2006, up by 30 percent from 2005. The city is named after King Norodom Sihanouk.
In 1994, the town was the location where three western backpackers were kidnapped and killed by the Khmer Rouge, which affected tourism in the area for many years after.
The city is served by Sihanoukville International Airport. The planned flights between Sihanoukville and Siem Reap may encourage visitors to Angkor temples in Siem Reap to extend their stay. However, Sihanoukville remains an unattractive destination compared to neighboring Thailand and the majority of the recent development in the region is fueled by greed and the proceeds of transhipping narcotics through its port.
Geography
Sihanoukville is a low lying town with beaches and tropical islands off its south and west coast. Beaches that line the west contour of the city from north to south are Victory Beach, Lamherkay Beach, Koh Pos Beach, Independence Beach, Sokha beach, Serendipity Beach and Occheuteal Beach. The most popular beaches are Occheuteal, Sokha, Independence and Victory. Tourist can take water taxis to the nearby islands for diving, snorkeling, and game fishing.
Occheuteal Beach and Serendipity Beach
Occheuteal Beach is a long and narrow strip of beach lined with Casuarina trees, grass umbrellas, rental chairs and little drink huts. Many huts were bulldozed by the government to make way for a supposed new resort. At the northern end is Serendipity Beach, the most popular beach with western tourists. Serendipity beach offers small guesthouse rooms right on the beach.
Sokha Beach
Sokha Beach is located just west of Serendipity Beach . This beach is privately owned by Sokha Beach Hotel, the first five-star luxury beach hotel in Cambodia. It provides many facilities with a wide white sandy beach, but hotel guards may prevent visitors who are not guests from going on to the beach.
Independence Beach
Independence Beach is located next to Sokha Beach on its west. The beach was named after the old Independence Hotel. This beach offers a good stretch of clean sand. Situated at the northern end of the beach is Independence Hotel and Koh Pos Beach with a tiny island only 800m off the coast. Koh Pos is known for its rock strewn shoreline.
Victory Beach
Victory beach is situated at the furthest north of the peninsula of Sihanoukville . It was the original backpacker beach and still popular with budget travelers. At the northern end of the beach is located the deep sea port. Thus, apart from white sand and blue sea, this beach offers a good spot to enjoy the scenes of sunset.
At the further south of Victory Beach is another small strand of sand called Lamherkey Beach where the Hawaii Seaview Restaurant is located. It is the place where a French/ Cambodian construction team laid groundwork for the construction of the new Port of Kampong Som during 1950s. At this beach, you can hire a boat to nearby islands.
Islands
There are more than a dozen islands off the coast of Sihanoukville for tourists to hop around. Most of them are yet to be developed for an overnight stay with the exception of Bamboo Island or Koh Russei in Khmer. Many guesthouses, restaurants and cafes on Ochteal Teal Serendipity beach offer trips and packages to these islands.
Soon Nail Island (also called Magic Island because it looks like a mushroom) will have a hotel run by the russian owners of the snake house. They already have a pier and most of the hotel and restaurant are finished.
Koh Rong
Koh Rong is situated west of the Sihanoukville coast. It offers the fantastic strand of beach on its southwest, stretching about 5 km. It has fresh water resources on the island and a bustling fishing community on the southeast with basic supplies including fresh water, fish and crab.
Koh Rong Samlon
Koh Rong Samlon is a bit smaller than Koh Rong and situated on its south. Beautiful beaches are on the east coast, where a large heart-shaped bay with some shellfish cultivation is located, and on the north shoreline facing Koh Rong.
Koh Tang
Koh Tang is located quite far from the main shoreline of Sihanoukville. Going there needs trippers to stay overnight on board. It offers interesting diving spots most of which are not frequently explored. The island is home to a military outpost and travelers should expect to be boarded by military personnel when out at the island.
Administration
For administrative purposes Sihanoukville is a municipality, holding the same status as a province. It is subdivided into 3 districts.
Sister cities
See also
External links
