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Phnom Penh, located at the
confluence of three rivers which include the Mekong, the Bassac and Tonle
Sap, is the capital
city of Cambodia with an approximate population of
two million people and covers an area of 290 square
kilometers. This area has become the most
popular tourist area in Cambodia because there
are many famous tourist attractions in Phnom
Penh.
Photo: The 'Phnom' or 'Hill' from which
Phnom Penh takes its name
Phnom Penh was
founded by a rich old lady named Penh after she
had found four bronze Buddha statues and one
stone Buddha in a hollow Koki tree trunk on the
bank of the Mekong River. She then set up a sanctuary on the
Phnom (meaning 'hill' in Khmer) and monks were
then invited to settle at the foot of the hill.
Therefore, Phnom Penh literally means 'Hill of
Penh'.
Phnom Penh is
basically divided into three areas making up of the
beautiful residential area in the north, the
French section with its ministries, banks and
colonial houses in the south and the heart of
the city with its narrow lanes, markets, food
stalls and shops in the center.
Phnom Penh's
heritage is rich and varied as shown through its
history as a Buddhist shrine in the 14th
century, Cambodia's capital in the 15th century
and a French colonial center in the 19th
century. Today tourists find a bustling,
multicultural city at the confluence of the
three rivers. Despite the dilapidation resulting
from decades of war, Phnom Penh still retains
its traditional Khmer and colonial charm with
the French villas along tree-lined boulevards
reminding visitors that it was once considered
the finest city in Indochina. The crumbling
colonial architecture makes an attractive
backdrop to bustling street side cafes and the
redeveloped riverfront precinct has become a
lively area on Friday and Saturday nights.
Wat Ounalom and Wat
Phnom are among the many remarkable places of
interest in Phnom Penh and other top attractions
that can be found include the Royal Palace, the
Silver Pagoda whereby its floor is made up of
5,329 silver tiles and the National Museum, a
tall-roofed, deep red terra-cotta structure
filled with treasures from the Khmer temples of
Angkor. The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) is a
famous hangout for journals and tourists.
Phnom Penh is now a
major industrial, commercial, communication and
tourism centre with one of the most beautiful
river fronts in the region and it is definitely
a place not to be missed as it is more relaxed
than Saigon, more alive than Vientiane, more
sincere than Bangkok and the fabled temples of
Angkor, the country's main draw, are just 300 kilometers
away.
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