Sihanoukville.
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Overview

Sihanoukville (Krong Preah Seihanu; ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ), formerly Kompong Som, is a seaside port city in Cambodia. This formerly laid-back beach destination has been transformed by Chinese investment and is now basically a giant construction site for Chinese resorts and casinos. After a major crackdown on the scam economy by the Cambodian government, much of the city can look bleak and is far from the coastal beachside city it once was. Nonetheless, Sihanoukville remains a launching point for the nearby beautiful islands. In 2019, the city had about 67,000 residents.

Understand

In a land with thousands of years of history, Sihanoukville is a colourful but tragic upstart. A joint French-Cambodian project carved a camp out of the jungle and started building the first deep-sea port in a newly independent Cambodia. Named Sihanoukville in 1964 after the ruling prince of Cambodia, the booming port and its golden beaches soon drew Cambodia's jet-setting elite, spawned the first Angkor brewery, and the modernist seven-story Independence Hotel which, claim locals, 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, after they hijacked 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 1993 following historic elections organised by the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) and in the ensuing ten years Sihanoukville was busy picking up the pieces. First visited only by a few intrepid backpackers, guide books 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. The Independence Hotel is up and running again, more and more Khmers and expats have settled down to run bars and restaurants, and the knowledge of what the New York Times dubbed "Asia's next trendsetting beach" is starting to spread.

Sihanoukville has been transformed by Chinese investment; a flood of Chinese tourists and construction workers have arrived to turn it into a Chinese resort city full of casinos. As of 2020, over 90% of businesses in Sihanoukville are Chinese-owned. In the 2020, the town has also become notorious for scam centres, where foreign workers are lured in and then forced to recruit targets online under threat of physical punishment or worse.

Get in

Getting there and away: The only way to get from/to the airport seems to be taxi.

By bus Frequent buses arrive in Sihanoukville from Phnom Penh (4-5 hr via National Road 4 or 2½-3 hr via Express Lane 4), Siem Reap (10-12 hr), Ho Chi Minh City (10-12 hr), and Bangkok.

For a more premium ride, Giant Ibis has been known for their quality while the newer VET Air Bus Express offers a range of amenities such as WC, Wifi, onboard entertainment, snacks and drinks. The first buses leave Phnom Penh at 07:00, the last at 19:00. All buses arrive and depart from the bus station near the Central Market. Tickets can be booked at the bus company offices, travel agencies, many guesthouses and online ticketing sites such as 12Go.Asia or BookMeBus. In case of a national holiday, it is worth reserving a day in advance. Express Lane 4 between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville is Cambodia's best road as of 2023.

The route is Kampot - Prey Nob - Stueng Hav - Sihanoukville, 101 km duration 2 hr 30 min.

Virak Buntham Express operate daily air-conditioned minibus service leaving at 08:15 from the border with Thailand at Koh Kong/Hat Lek, taking about 5 hr (though since 2025, Thailand has indefinitely halted bus services to the Cambodian border until the border reopens). Other "Local" and "tourist" minibuses service this route; they are always jam-packed, and the trip can be uncomfortable. They will also typically have pickup in front of the offices on the main strip in town at 07:30, after which they simply drive over to the station to wait until the 08:30 departure time. You may be offered pickup at your hotel for a premium.

Kampot Transport offers a bus service from Ha Tien in Vietnam to Sihanoukville via the Xa Xia/Prek Chak border post. From Ha Tien, there is a ferry to Phu Quoc Island, another popular tourist destination. This trip has become easy and straightforward.

There is no boat to/from Koh Kong/Hat Lek (the border crossing with Thailand) anymore.

Modest numbers of cruise lines, e.g., Oceania, offer one-day port visits, usually along with more stops in Vietnam en route to or from Bangkok.

Get around

Distances between the beaches are too long to walk comfortably, but getting around is easy, as the roads are wide and bike taxis (motodop) are everywhere. They'll gladly pile on two people and their luggage too.

There are dozens of the ubiquitous tuk-tuks around the new bus station and the accommodation areas. If you have decided where you will stay it can help to call for a pick up. Even if it's not free, it may save you some overcharging.

Another great choice to get around is to rent a scooter. However, as of 2009, renting scooters to foreigners is illegal, and the police may stop and fine you.

See

The town doesn't offer much to see. The main areas of Sihanoukville of interest to tourists are Serendipity Beach, Otres Beach, Victory Beach, and the various islands off the coast.

Beaches The main reason to visit Sihanoukville is the beaches. They are not as crowded as many of those in Thailand, but can be cramped on weekends and holidays. Like many beaches in Southeast Asia, they are often covered in a lot of rubbish.

Ochheuteal Beach. A long narrow strip of white sand beach in Sangkat No 3. The northern section has now become known as Serendipity Beach, a beach popular with Western tourists, noted for small guesthouses right on the beach. There are around 30 beach huts serving good value meals and a wide selection of drinks, a golf course development at the south end, and a cluster of mid-range hotels and restaurants in the middle. Grass umbrellas, rentable beach chairs, and little drink huts line the beach from one end to the other. Further south along the beach in front of the golf course development, a number of budget backpacker-oriented bar/restaurant/beach hangouts have sprung up offering chairs, umbrellas, drinks and a chilled-out atmosphere. Expect noise and exhaust fumes though from the numerous 2-stroke jet skis in the area. Swimming can be dangerous and several tourists have been killed by jet skis.

Otres Beach. Amazing 4-km-long stretch of clean, white sands. Far less crowded and more relaxed than other beaches in Sihanoukville. Every season more and more beach bars and guesthouses pop up along the beach. Like most of Sihanoukville's budget accommodation, no air-con is available in Otres Beach lodgings, except for the Secret Garden Resort, at the far end of "Old Otres" (Otres 2). Otres Beach is a great place for lazy sunbathing, but other activities also available (catamarans, windsurfing, kayaks, various boat trips, bicycles.) Unlike Serendipity Beach, marijuana and marijuana-based baked goods are openly and safely smoked and sold at the beach side bars/guesthouses and on the beach itself, which is now attracting a young Western crowd to the area. A second part of Otres Beach about a 5-10 min tuk-tuk ride away, referred to as "Otres 2", has several guesthouses open and is beginning to attract tourists looking for an even less crowded beach than the relaxed main strip of Otres Beach. Otres 2 is far less developed and less crowded, but offers only minimal activities and locations. There are no stores of any kind in Otres 2, though in the main strip of Otres 1 there's a bank machine. Adjoining that on the road in from Occhuteal is a Khmer village with various stores and a few Khmer restaurants; with a small, modern convenience store on the side road out of the village that leads to and from Occhuteal. Otres has a different climate than Snooky; it may be sunny all day when downtown Sihanoukville and the other beaches are raining and flooding. It's also known in the area as having the best sunset, and people staying in closer beaches often drive out to watch it from there (with few vendors or other harassment unlike closer to the city). Otres is fairly large away from the beach; side roads lead to other areas inland, including along the small river that flows through the broad prairie that lies inland from the beach strip. Along it, another village lies, and a few small resorts, and during high season, a small public market with entertainment. There's a couple of resorts and bars there, including a funky westerner-run backpackery bar and stage, and another more modern one with dining room and also a stage. The river can be navigated by kayak, and fish from it is part of the menu among local Khmer. The beach at Otres is very shallow for a couple of hundred meters out, or more, depending on the tide. The bottom is soft sand and clean and when there are no waves very safe for children and novice swimmers.

Serendipity Beach. Guesthouses, bars and restaurants right on the beach, open until the early hours. This beach is the most popular and typically has the greatest number of people on the beach.

Sokha Beach. Owned by Sokha Beach Resort. It is private, but you can access it by paying a couple dollars. You won't have many people begging or trying to sell you something here.

Victory Beach. Plenty of budget accommodation nearby on Weather Station Hill. This beach is close to the seaport.

Rivers The mangrove-lined Ou Trojak Jet River, Sihanoukville's longest river, runs from Otres Pagoda to Otres Beach. It is popular with both canoeists and anglers, and the lower section harbours a marina. Restaurants along the south bank of the river serve fresh seafood supplied by the local inshore fishing boats.

Wat Kraom. Forested environs. Large statue of sleeping Buddha.

Wat Leu. Hilltop location. Views over the town and ocean. Working temple with a number of resident monks.

Kampong Pier Nup Lok. The old fishing port. Offers some nice views.

Koh Rong and Koh Rung Sanloem. Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem are small, famous islands around 30 minutes away from Sihanoukville by speed ferry that offers a relaxed location away from the crowds, beautiful pristine beaches, a small jungle to trek, as well as a handful of bars, restaurants, and guesthouses. Ferries from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong leave 3-4 times daily from various docks and several different ferry companies in Sihanoukville. Ferries can be booked from any guesthouse or travel agent. Fishing, diving, and snorkelling are available as well at prices similar to the rest of Sihanoukville.

Ream National Park. A wonderful mangrove nature reserve about a 30-min drive from Sihanoukville. The boats leave a few miles away just before the highway crosses the river, so don't send away your moto or taxi. Destination is an island where you can walk on a decaying boardwalk that leads to a viewing tower you may not climb due to decayed ladder. You have spend all your time watching your step so the walk (100 m, perhaps) is not worth taking. Call in advance. Hiking trail with ranger accompanying has been suspended as of November 2018 due to fallen trees on the trail that the park lacks money and manpower to clear.

Kbal Chhay Waterfall. A waterfall approximately 7 km from the city of Sihanoukville and then a further 9 km along a red dust track. Popular swimming area, families come to spend the day, many food stalls, rest houses and other facilities line the stream. The swimming is the attraction more than the waterfall so don't expect much nature at the stream.

Do

The Cambodian Children's Painting Project. An NGO which works with impoverished Cambodian children. Together with volunteers, the children create art which is then sold to help support the children's families and the project itself. As part of the project children are provided with access to education, painting materials, sport activities, two meals a day, medical and dental assistance. Social workers are employed to work with the children's families. You can help by becoming a volunteer, donating painting materials, buying a painting, donating money or by holding an exhibition of the children's art.

Unique Spa. Massages, nail care, body scrubs.

Scuba Diving. There are many islands off the Cambodian coast that have lots of coral and fish. Sihanoukville used to have many dive centers but after all the Chinese investments happening in the city and the effect of Covid, all the dive centers have moved to the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem. The best dive sites are in front of M'Pai Bay village on Koh Rong Sanloem, and it is the place on the islands where you will find the biggest concentration of dive centers for this reason.

Snorkelling. Possible around most of the islands, with the best snorkelling being at the further our islands for visibility, corals and fish. Most will boil down to the same trip organized by one of the travel agents which includes (simple) breakfast at the beach, a visit to two snorkelling spots and a 3-hr lunch break at Koh Russei (Bamboo Island). If you are serious about your snorkelling, you should consider going with one of the three scuba dive shops, to ensure you get proper gear.

Travel to the islands of Koh Rong or Koh Rong Sanloem. Finding a clean and unspoiled beach (apart from private Sokha Beach) is challenging in Sihanoukville, but can be found a couple of hours away on the islands, Koh Rong Sanloem and Koh Rong. Sihanoukville in 2024 is mostly used by travelers as a hub to go to the islands. Daily ferries can take you there from Sihanoukville tourist pier, the best option is with GTVC as they have the best and most boats, running to the island 4 times a day at 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00. There are other ferry companies such as Buva Sea, Speed Ferry Cambodia or Island Speed Ferry Cambodia.

Buy

ATMs can be found throughout the city. Downtown, there are ATMs from ANZ Bank, Canadia Bank, Acleda Bank, May bank, ABA Bank, CIMB Bank, Union Commercial Bank, Cambodia Commercial Bank, and UCB Bank. There are also ATMs around the "Golden Lions", on Beach St, at CCS Hotel and one at the Golden Sands Hotel, Occheuteal Beach. There is also an ATM in Otres 1. T E Lee Hong Money Exchange 7 Markara Street.

Supermarkets and groceries There are several supermarkets in the town, plus a standard Cambodian market ('Psaa Leu').

Samudera Supermarket. There is a money exchange with in the Samudera supermarket.

Psar Leu (Public Market). Low-priced fruit and vegetables. also sells home wares and clothing.

Eat

There are a good many restaurants in town as well. Sihanoukville has a surprisingly diverse set of cuisines.

Sandan. A restaurant serving local flavors and Cambodian traditions with an 8- or 12-course dinner option if you prefer.

Drink

Seapony Cafe. Serving up breakfast and lunch.

Starfish Bakery & Cafe. Makes contribution to local charitable causes.

Golden Lion Plaza at Occheteal Beach, 10 friendly bars in one street.

Captain Morgan. Nice-looking bar with friendly staff. Food and snacks.

Star Bar. Friendly waitresses. Good pool table. Decent kitchen with Western-oriented menu.

Sleep

Accommodation ranges from basic guest houses on the beach to four-star resorts. There are plenty of guesthouses, however, the cheapest guesthouses directly on the beach frequently sell out. Reservations are necessary at peak times such as at New Year. Due the extensive construction works in the city, any list of accommodation might be outdated. As of Sep 2919, it seems that most of the hotels aim at Chinese clientele.

Onederz Hostel Sihanoukville. Supposedly one of the last hostels in Sihanoukville. Features a small swimming pool and a bit overpriced Khmer food.

Above Us Only Sky (Bar & Bungalows). Spacious bungalows on a very quiet part of the beach. It has fan and air-conditioning rooms and a nice porch in front of the bungalow with comfortable chairs and couch and brilliant ocean view. Wi-Fi. There is also a nice little bar downstairs. No restaurant, but there are plenty nearby.

The Don Bosco Hotel School. Hotel in a lush garden with a swimming pool, air-conditioning, hot showers, and free Wi-Fi, pick-up and shuttle to the beaches and city. It is a training hotel to help young Cambodians learn a skill and find a job.

Sokha Beach Resort. An international-class beach resort. Very bland and a bit rough around the edges, but the beach is gorgeous and hassle-free, and the resort is family-friendly with children swimming pools and playgrounds. Try their best Restaurant, Lemongrass, and "The Deck" Tapas Bar. 180° views of the gulf.

Independence Hotel. A modernist concrete seven-story block on top of the cape and with great sea views, it has a pretty pool and attractive, expansive gardens. A nice touch are some black and white photographs of the hotel in its heyday. The best feature is the adjacent clean pale sand private beach which has crystal clear water and some big rocks, although this may be under development as the hotel are planning bungalows. Some distance from town.