Sihanoukville ( - Krong Preah Sihanouk), also known as Kampong Som, is a port city in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand and is a growing Cambodian urban center. The city is named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk and grew up around the construction of Sihanoukville Port. Construction on the port began in June 1955 and it was the only deep water port in Cambodia.. The port was built in part due to the waning power of the French leading to the Vietnamese tightening their control over the Mekong Delta and hence restricting river access to Cambodia. Sihanoukville's beaches have made it a popular tourist destination.
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Sihanoukville ( - Krong Preah Sihanouk), also known as Kampong Som, is a port city in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand and is a growing Cambodian urban center. The city is named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk and grew up around the construction of Sihanoukville Port. Construction on the port began in June 1955 and it was the only deep water port in Cambodia.. The port was built in part due to the waning power of the French leading to the Vietnamese tightening their control over the Mekong Delta and hence restricting river access to Cambodia. Sihanoukville's beaches have made it a popular tourist destination.
The city is served by Kang Keng Airport, 18 kilometers from downtown (11 miles). Although it has a limited commercial operation. The planned flights between Sihanoukville and Siem Reap may encourage visitors to Angkor temples in Siem Reap to extend their stay, though the crash of a charter flight in Phnom Damrey on 25th June, 2007 from Siem Riep, has caused concerns.
Sihanoukville attracts tourists with its laid back beach atmosphere when compared to Thailand's more developed ones, but the region's illegal narcotics shipping discourages some visitors. In January 2009 two Canadians - a humanitarian worker volunteer and a tourist, were assaulted by bandits in the city. Jiri Zivny, the humanitarian worker, died after days in a coma in Phnom Penh. An official statement, however, concluded that Zivny died in a motorbike crash. This report was later verified by a number of Sihanoukville residents and the story reported in Kamloops This Week, the Local Newspaper of Jiri's Hometown. The events caused concerns of insecurity for foreigners, although authorities promised to improve it in the port. The port has been pointed also by humanitarian organizations for its recurrence in cases of child abuse and women.
However, the city has attracted not only tourists, but several NGOs and foreign and national investors in the last years in order to develop not only the growing tourist industry, but its capacity as an international sea port and other sectors like textile and real estate. In Sihanoukville is also located the main factory of Angkor, the Cambodian national beer.
Sihanoukville was the place of the last official battle of the United States army in the Vietnam War, although the fact took place outside Vietnam. It is known as the Mayagüez incident on May 12-15, 1975 among US and the Khmer Rouge. Currently, visitors dive in Koh Tang, one of the Sihanoukville islands where was the major battle to free the SS Mayagüez. The divers can see two shipwrecks 40 meters down.
Origin of the name
The city honors the name of King Norodom Sihanouk. Internationally it is written in French as Sihanouk Ville or Sihanoukville (Literally "The City of Sihanouk" or "Sihanouk City").
King Norodom Sihanouk is known in Cambodia as the Father of the Nation, because he was the main promoter of the independence of the country from France in 1953.
