The master plan and the old
buildings were built during the French time (1863-1953). Industries,
factories, stadium, markets, Royal palace are the remains after the
destruction during the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979). The city was
abandoned for almost 4 years, it was a ghost city. Fortunately, the
city has been liberated from Khmer Rouge in 1979 and it gradually
changed. The infrastructure, houses, official buildings, markets,
shops, and factories were renovated and built to develop the city.
Phnom Penh is the most beautiful French colonial town in
Indochina and a fast developing city in the world. Roads, public
gardens, underground drains are mainly restored in this town. It
serves as the administration center and the commercial center of the
country.
New sister towns "Camco City" and "Koh Pich island City" and many other towns are under construction. Phnom Penh city is now a safe place for tourists. It is also a transit town for the other most attractive places of Cambodia, such as Angkor Wat temple at Siem Reap about 318 Km, Sihanouk Ville province with beaches for relaxing about 240 km and Ratanakiri where the ethnic Khmer live.
Cambodia Tour Packages are designed professionally to meet your need to explore Angkor Temple and Sightseeing. You will visit many temples such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, Phimean Akas, Terrace of leper king and elephant, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, Kravan, Srah Srang, Pre Rup, Eastern Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean, Preah Khan, Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre, Kbal Spean, Phnom Kulen, Beng Mealea, Koh Ker...
And you are not only discovery temples of Angkor, but you will discovery our nature, people and culture. Tonle Sap is where our fisherman has been living since the Angkor time, the best place for learning how people live on water and what are the ecologies of one of the biggest fresh water lake in ASIA.
In Cambodian Cultural Village is the best performance of Khmer art and culture which are collected from all regions of Cambodia. Dance show, circuses, wedding ceremonies and historical show are very interesting to visitors beside ancient temples.
Below tour packages are the most sold of ASIA VIPA Travel & Tours, and these packages are not limited to only Angkor Temples, but there are some tour packages are the combine between two places Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. The basic Siem Reap Phnom Penh Tours are the most popular tour packages. For Siem Reap and Phnom Penh Tour Packages, you can choose the method to travel to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. For linking two places, there are by air, land and water. For cheaper cost of traveling in this linking is Cambodia Limousine Bus from each way cost 10$US. We do not recommend to take boat during low water season.
Built in 1866, the site contains various buildings of interest, including the Khmer-style Throne Hall, now used for special ceremonial occasions. South of the Throne Hall are the Royal Treasury and the Villa of Napoleon III, built in Egypt in 1866, for the opening of the Suez Canal , and was later presented to the Cambodian king as a gift. The famous Silver Pagoda, originally constructed of wood in 1866, was expanded in 1962 by King Sihanouk who had the floor inlaid with 5,329 solid silver tiles,
hence its name. The most revered image is the Emerald Buddha, made of Baccarat crystal and dating back to the 17th century. Behind it, another Buddha statue was cast in 1906, utilizing 90 kg of gold, and decorated with 9,584 diamonds. Cabinets along the perimeter contain gifts presented to royalty and dignitaries. Along the inside of the recently restored 600-metre external wall is a colorful mural depicting scenes from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana.
Built in 1866, the site contains various buildings of interest, including the Khmer-style Throne Hall, now used for special ceremonial occasions. South of the Throne Hall are the Royal Treasury and the Villa of Napoleon III, built in Egypt in 1866, for the opening of the Suez Canal , and was later presented to the Cambodian king as a gift. The famous Silver Pagoda, originally constructed of wood in 1866, was expanded in 1962 by King Sihanouk who had the floor inlaid with 5,329 solid silver tiles,
hence its name. The most revered image is the Emerald Buddha, made of Baccarat crystal and dating back to the 17th century. Behind it, another Buddha statue was cast in 1906, utilizing 90 kg of gold, and decorated with 9,584 diamonds. Cabinets along the perimeter contain gifts presented to royalty and dignitaries. Along the inside of the recently restored 600-metre external wall is a colorful mural depicting scenes from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana.
Categories: Phnom Penh
It commemorates the end of French's rule over Cambodia in 1953. The one hundred nagas and motifs can be seen in historic, cultural and modern day. It is also used to commemorate the souls of fallen to combatants who down their lives for the country's freedom.
Categories: Phnom Penh
On a hill to the north of the city, and restored or reconstructed in 1434, 1806, 1894 and 1926, Wat Phnom is a symbol of the capital city Phnom Penh and regularly used for prayer, small offerings, and meditation.
Categories: Phnom Penh
North of the palace grounds, the building was designed in Khmer-style, in 1920, by a French architect, and contains important artifacts and sculptures from the Angkor era and earlier.
Categories: Phnom Penh
Originally built as a secondary school named Tuol Svay Prey High School in 1960, during the reign of Preah Batnorodom Sihanouk. The Khmer Rouge converted this into a torture and interrogation centre to extract 'confessions' of anti-government sentiment. Many victims were women and children incarcerated along with the 'suspected' father. Documents recovered indicate that over 17,000 persons had been imprisoned there between1975 and 1978, only seven of whom are known to have survived. The others, once the 'confession' had been extracted under torture, were transported to Choeung Ek for execution. Records show that the highest figure was on 27 May 1978 , when 582 persons were sent to their death. The museum was established in 1979 after the Vietnamese invasion, and the Khmer Rouge's meticulous photographic records of their victims are exhibited as tragic testimony to those who suffered and died in their hands.
Categories: Phnom Penh
15km southwest of the city centre is one of the many sites of Khmer Rouge mass executions. The exhumed skulls of some 8,000 souls, arranged by sex and age, are displayed behind glass panels in the Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988. Although some were killed and buried at Toul Sleng, most victims were driven out to Choeung Ek at night by truck. Some were made to dig their own graves before being clubbed to death with any heavy instrument available. In addition to those exhumed, another 43 pits have been left undisturbed and the final shocking total can only be guessed. The pleasant orchard setting does little to dispel the horror engendered by this grim sight, as Choeung Ek is just one of thousands of recorded mass grave sites throughout the country, and is by no means, the largest. On May 9th each year a memorial service is conducted at the stupa, in memory of the estimated 1.7 million people who died during the genocide.
Categories: Phnom Penh
Central Market (in Cambodian called Psar Thmei - "New Market") is a 1930s Art Deco covered market near the Riverfront (Sisowath Quay) district. The market is well set out, and sells everything from flowers to video games. As of August 2009, two arms of the building were undergoing renovations and one more was largely empty. However, the central dome and the last arm were open and busy, as were the temporary markets around them.
Categories: Phnom Penh
Sorya Mall, currently Phnom Penh's main Western-style mall, is nearby - less colorful than the traditional markets, but it is air-conditioned and contains a range of cheap fast-food outlets as well as a well-stocked supermarket named Lucky Supermarket. If looking for Sorya, go SOUTH of the Central Market. It's on a north-south street on the west side. Asking anyone in the Central Market will be futile, however they DO understand "Sorya". (NB: Don't leave a moto with the Sorya parking people, who are well-known for stealing helmets, and doubling the parking charges on a whim.) On the south-west edge of town is the even newer Sovanna mall. Freezing aircon and modern shops make this popular too.
Categories: Phnom Penh
Russian Market (Cambodian "Psar Toul Tom Poung" - it gained the "Russian Market" moniker following the Vietnamese occupation of the city in the 1980s, but many motodops are not familiar with the name) offers the opportunity to buy REAL designer clothes at a huge discount price. A lot of the factories for Levi's, CK, Ralph Lauren and many other brands are in Phnom Pehn, however a lot of the clothes sold here are deemed unfit to be shipped abroad due to very small fault in the clothing which a majority of people wouldn't even notice, therefore they are sold at the Russian market. You can also purchase fake Swiss watches and pirated software at low prices. It also has the best ice coffee in the city. Russian Market is located away from normal tourist areas, but motodop drivers who cater to tourists will know it.
