Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville (Krong Preah Seihanu), formerly Kompong Som, is a seaside town 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. It remains the launching point for beautiful islands nearby. 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.

By plane


Getting there and away: The only way to get from/to the airport seems to be taxi. You can arrange a taxi from hotels in the center for around US$15. If coming from the airport to the city, you have to haggle hard to get this price.

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.

Also Larryta Express, Mey Hong, Vibol Express, and Chan Molyroth operate daily bus services from Phnom Penh, taking 3-5 hr and costing US$10–15, depending on the quality of the bus and the number of stops. 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 days in advance. Express Lane 4 between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville is Cambodia's best road as of 2023.

From Kampot, Champa Mekong Travel and Tours runs minivan 3x daily (0830, 1030, 1330hr), $10USD from their office in Kampot to their Sihanoukville office ("Champa Tourist Bus") next to the shipping port, which is not close to the city centre. The route is Kampot - Prey Nob - Stueng Hav - Sihanoukville, 101km duration 2h30min.

International:

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. Other "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. 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. Sometimes there are buses leaving at 14:00 but the service may be available only with suitable demand and ticket prices may be higher (~US$15).

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.

By train


One daily train from Phnom Penh — times and prices from:
 * Phnom Penh – 07:00, 6 hr, US$10
 * Takeo – 08:40, 4¼ hr, US$8
 * Kep – 10:20, 2¾ hr, US$7
 * Kampot – 10:40, 2¼ hr, US$6
 * (Sihanoukville – 13:00)

The return journey starts at 14:00.

By taxi
A chartered taxi from Phnom Penh's Central Market can make the trip in less than 3 hr and will around US$25–40 per car, depending on the petrol price of the day and the condition of the vehicle. You can reduce the price by sharing seats, but Khmers will squeeze as many as eight people into the car, including two in the drivers seat, so you may need to buy two seats for comfort.

By boat


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. 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 by phone (fixed US$5 to most places around town).

There are dozens of the ubiquitous tuk-tuks around the new bus station and the accommodation areas. They are some of the most persistent and over-charging drivers in Cambodia; they have formed an "association" for price fixing: a trip to the bus station, US$2 in Phnom Penh, costs US$3 if your bus company pays but they charge US$6 if you arrive at the bus station and want to go to the beach. 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.

The ride from the new bus station to Serendipity Beach should cost no more than US$3 during the day.

Another great choice to get around is to rent a scooter. Haggle a bit and you can get it for US$4 a day or more depending on the season. Fuel is not very cheap (about US$1.25 per litre) but can be bought at many roadside shacks. 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.







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.

Banks and ATMs

 * 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').

Eat
Along the beaches, especially at Ochheuteal Beach, there are many food stalls and some restaurants serving grilled, meat, chicken, and seafood with chips/fries and a beer for US$3–4. There are a good many restaurants in town as well. Sihanoukville has a surprisingly diverse set of cuisines.

Alcohol

 * Golden Lion Plaza at Occheteal Beach, 10 friendly bars in one street, but all are also used as spots for picking up prostitutes.
 * The trend on Serendipity Beach is to advertise a permanent happy hour, which usually implies cocktails for US$2–2.50 and draught Anchor beer for as little as US$0.50-0.75. Beer prices generally rise to US$1 at night with cocktails remaining US$2–2.50.

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.

Stay safe

 * Cambodia National Police: ,
 * Cambodia National Police, Sihanoukville Branch:, ,

While violent crime is extremely rare, purse snatching, pick-pocketing, and petty theft are extremely common occurrences on and near Serendipity beach during both the day and night. Women should not carry purses containing anything valuable, and if possible should not carry any purse at all. Groups of young children often surround women leaving the beach bars at night, cut off their purses and run away. In addition, criminals on motorbikes will often grab a woman's purse and then drive off during both the day and night, dragging the woman behind them until they let go. The majority of this activity is confined to the Serendipity area and travellers to Otres Beach or the rest of Sihanoukville should be careful, but far less concerned about crime.

Jet ski
At least six tourists and one local boy were run over and killed at Ochheuteal Beach and Otres Beach by jet skis since Sep 2009. The number of tourists and locals injured by banana-boats and jet skis is unknown. In 2009 the police marked a swimmers-only area with buoys along most of the beach but the employees of the jet ski & banana-boat operators completely ignore it and keep showing off silly but very dangerous high speed stunts just meters from shore and in the middle of swimmers to hunt and attract customers. Complaints to the police are ignored. On weekends you will see many very drunk Cambodian tourists on jet skis, chasing each other inside the swimming zone and ignoring the simplest safety rules. At Serendipity, the northern end of Ochheuteal Beach, jet skiers race between the coral bommies, completely disregarding the safety of snorkellers, damaging and killing marine life with the oil in their exhausts. All but one jet ski are old models from the 1990s with 2-stroke engines. If three or four jet skies running at the same time, the whole beach stinks from the highly toxic exhaust fumes, not to mention the permanent chainsaw noise the beach is blasted with. If you want to enjoy a quiet, relaxed day on the beach, do not rent a jet ski and tell everybody about the danger, or go to one of the other beaches outside of town and pay US$3–5 for a one-way ride with a motodop.

Stay healthy
Medical services in Sihanoukville are very limited and basic. The best medical service is offered by the CT Clinic or Sihanoukville International Clinic. These are the only clinics trusted by expats who live in Sihanoukville. The public hospital should be avoided at all costs, as it is terrible. In case of major illness or injury evacuation is necessary.

HIV/AIDS is nowhere near as prevalent as it was, but the infection rate is still relatively high within certain high risk groups such as female sex workers. In 2016 the infection rate for brothel-based female sex workers was estimated to be 14.7%, but government initiatives have raised the rate of correct and consistent condom use to over 90%. However, many sex workers are now operating outside of brothels, so the rate could be significantly higher in this group.

Connect
Sihanoukville's area code is 034.

Internet
There are many Internet cafes and some guesthouses and many hotels offer Internet access. Many now have Wi-Fi, some for free.

Post
The new main Post Office is near the Victory Park on the left hand side of the road as you go to Victory Hill. There is also a branch at the market downtown, but here you can only leave your postcards during office hours, as it does not feature an outdoor mailbox.

Go next

 * Bokor National Park – An abandoned French hill station near Kampot which was a popular destination in the 1920s
 * Kampot
 * Kep
 * Koh Kong
 * Koh Rong
 * Koh Rung Sanloem
 * Koh Russei
 * Bangkok via Trat Thailand – Minibuses offer direct service for US$35
 * Ko Chang, Thailand – Minibuses offer direct service to the ferry crossing
 * Siem Reap – 12 hr by day or overnight bus. The price is US$17–18 (July 2015) and they will not negotiate (probably due to cartel). If you take the night bus, they will force you to sleep next to a stranger on a small single bed. If you are a big person they may force you to pay double.