Gia Linh Travel Co.,Ltd

Phnom Penh - French Built City

The capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, is located at the confluence of three rivers - the Mekong, the Bassac and Tonle Sap.  The city is divided into three sections - the north, an attractive residential area; the south or the French part of the city with its ministries, banks and colonial houses; and the centre or the heart with its narrow lanes, markets, foods stalls and shops.

Over the past four years, the city has undergone tremendous changes - businesses are springing up constantly and tourism is once again booming.  Cambodia has one of the most liberal investment laws to further boost managed to retain its charm and character - cyclos that weave through traffic with ease, broad boulevards, old colonial buildings, parks and green spaces that reminds one of the country's French heritage, and above all its people who always have a smile for you.

A stone's throw away from the Tonle Sap is the royal Palace built on the site of the Banteay Kev, a citadel built in 1813. The Palace grounds contain several buildings: the Throne Room of Prasat Tevea Vinichhay which is used for the coronation of kings, official receptions and traditional ceremonies; the Chan Chhaya Pavilion which is a venue for dance performances; the king's official residence called the Khemarin; the Napoleon Pavilion and the spectacular Silver Pagoda.  This pagoda is worth exploring.  It owes its name to the 5,000 silver tiles weighing 1kg each which cover the entire floor.  The emerald Buddha sits on a pedestal high atop the dias.  In front of the dias stands a life-size Buddha made of solid gold and weighs 75kg.  It is decked with precious gems including diamonds, the largest of which is 25 carats.  Also on display at the sides are the coronation apparel and numerous miniature Buddha in gold and silver.

The walls surrounding the compound which is the oldest part of the palace, are covered with frescos depicting scenes from the Khmer version of the Ramayana.

INDEPENDENCE MONUMENT:

The Royal Palace

Situated on the site of the former Citadel, it was built by King Norodom in 1866 on the banks of the Mekong River. Inside its gleaming yellow walls are the Throne Hall; the Chan Chaya Pavilion, specially made for performances of classical Cambodian dance; the Napoleon III Pavilion, offered to King Norodom by Queen Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, and the King's and Queen's residential quarters. Nowadays, only the Silver Pagoda can be visited.

The National Museum

Located near the Royal Palace, Cambodia's National Museum offers a charming setting for a stunning collection of ancient Khmer art. Predominantly constructed of sandstone, the sculptures date from both the Angkorean and pre-Angkorean eras. These exhibits are complemented by more recent examples of Cambodian art. The museum is housed in a terra-cotta-roofed structure of traditional Cambodian design, which was built between 1917 and 1920. Apart from artistic treasures, the building is also home to a large colony of Cambodian freetail bats. The colony has lived in the building's rafters for years and is believed to be the largest group of bats living in a man-made structure anywhere in the world. But visitors need not worry about becoming a guano target, as the Australian government reinforced the ceiling of the museum in 1997. The only time you are likely to see the bats is when they fly from the roof en masse at dusk each evening.

The Silver Pagoda

Also called the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, it is located in the compound of the Royal Palace. Inside, its floor is constructed of 5000 silver blocks. In the center of the pagoda, there is a magnificent 17th-century emerald Buddha statue made of baccarat crystal. The walls enclosing the pagoda are covered with frescoes depicting episodes from the Khmer version of the Ramayana.

Wat Phnom

Atop an artificial hill built in the 15th century stands a stupa containing the ashes of a king from the same period. There is also a small Buddhist pagoda. Wat Phnom is a city landmark and a popular place for worship.

Wat Ounalom

Facing the Tonle Sap River near the Royal Palace, this pagoda serves as the headquarters for one of Cambodia's most revered Buddhist patriarchs.

Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek

When the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975 they converted a non-descript high school on the fringe of downtown Phnom Penh into a detention and torture center known as Tuol Sleng, or S-21 (Security Prison 21). A genocide museum was established at Tuol Sleng after the 1979 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and today it appears precisely as it was left by the fleeing Khmer Rouge. The non-descript facade belies the horrors and trocities committed inside. Hundreds of photos of those tortured line the walls inside the old school. Most of the 17,000 people detained at Tuol Sleng were subsequently transported to Choeung Ek, a longan orchard 15 km outside Phnom Penh, slaughtered and buried in mass graves. Known to locals as the Killing Fields after the popular movie of the same name, Choeung Ek also serves as a memorial to those killed under Khmer Rouge rule.