Phnom Penh

The Khmer Rouge Evacuated This Entire City at Gunpoint in 24 Hours

In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh and drove out its entire population of two million people at gunpoint. Hospitals were evacuated mid-surgery. The city stood empty for four years while the regime’s agricultural experiment consumed roughly a quarter of Cambodia’s population – between 1.7 and 2.2 million dead from execution, starvation, and disease. The city that rebuilt after 1979 has grown into a motorcycle-loud, fast-changing capital of about 2.3 million. The history is not tucked away. It is visible throughout.

S-21 and Choeung Ek are not optional. Tuol Sleng (S-21) was a high school the Khmer Rouge converted into an interrogation and detention centre where an estimated 17,000 people were processed between 1975 and 1979. The regime kept meticulous records, including photographs of prisoners taken on arrival; the faces looking out from the walls are the most affecting element of the visit. Choeung Ek, 15 kilometres south of the city, is where most of those prisoners were taken to be killed. The stupa contains more than 8,000 human skulls found during excavation. The audio guide is among the most carefully designed memorial guides in Southeast Asia. Allow two hours for each site, and emotional preparation.

The Other Essential Sights

The Royal Palace compound is the official residence of King Norodom Sihamoni and is accessible to visitors for a combined entry fee with the adjacent Silver Pagoda. Inside the pagoda, 5,000 silver tiles cover the floor and a gold Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds occupies the altar. Covered shoulders and knees are required.

The National Museum of Cambodia occupies a terracotta-red colonial pavilion and holds the finest collection of Khmer art in the world: Pre-Angkorian bronzes, Angkorian sandstones from the great temple period, post-Angkorian Buddhas. Go in the morning before tour groups arrive. The courtyard garden alone is worth time. Most visitors allow far less time here than the collection deserves.

Techo International Airport, located 10 kilometres from the city centre, has undergone significant infrastructure upgrades through 2025 and 2026, which means the arrival experience is substantially better than it was a few years ago.

Eating in Phnom Penh

Khmer food is aromatic and subtle rather than fiery – it rewards attention. Fish amok (fish steamed in banana leaves with coconut cream and kroeung paste) is the national dish. Beef lok lak, stir-fried and served with a lime and black pepper dipping sauce, is the reliable standard at mid-range restaurants. Num banh chok – rice noodles with a fish-based green curry sauce – is the breakfast dish and best eaten early from a market stall.

BKK1 and Street 240 concentrate the more established restaurants and cocktail bars. Street food from markets runs 3,000 to 6,000 riel per plate. Romdeng serves particularly good lok lak in a colonial-era villa setting.

Practical Notes

Use PassApp or Grab for tuk-tuks and motos. US dollars are used for most transactions; small change comes in Cambodian riel. November through February is the cool dry season and the most comfortable time to visit. Siem Reap and Angkor Wat are six hours by bus or one hour by domestic flight – the flight is worth the price difference on a limited schedule.