WELCOME TO SIHANOUK VILLE

Sihanoukville (Krong Preah Sihanouk), also known as Kampong som, is a province beautifully situated in the southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. This port city is a growing Cambodia urban center, located 230 kilometers(143mile) southwest of the Cambodia capital, Phnom Penh. The province was named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk who had brought independence to Cambodia. On 22 December 2008, King Norodom Sihamoni signed a Royal Decree that changed the municipatities of Kep, Pailin and Sihanoukville into Provinces, as well as adjusted several provincial borders.

     Sihanoukville doesn’t have long history like Phnom Penh and Seim Reap. It was founded in 1964 after independence from France and grew up originally around the construction began in june 1955. 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 restriction river access to Cambodia. Sihanoukville’s beaches have made it a popular tourist destination.
     The province is served by Sihanoukville International Airport, 18 kilometers (11mile) from downtown although it has a limited commercial operation. Flights between Sihanoukville and Seim Reap province may encou age tourists to visit Angkor temples in Seim Reap to extend their stays.
     Sihanoukville attracts tourists with its relaxing beach atmosphere when compared to Thailand’s more developed ones. However, the city has attracted not only tourists, but also several NGOs, foreign and national investors in order to develop not only the growing tourist industry, but also its capacity as an international sea port and other sectors like textile and real estate. Sihanoukville is also a location of the main factory of Angkor Beer, the Cambodia national beer.


Geography

Sihanoukville has a total area of 2,561.20km2. Sihanoukville is 230km distant from Phnom Penh. Sihanoukville sits at a peninsula round the beaches and tropical islands. It border the north of Koh Kong, the east of kampot, to the west and south of the beautiful Gulf of Thailand. Most parts of the province belong to the peninsula showing a hilly face with some dense forest areas.






Provincial Climate
    - Cold season: November-March (20-28c)
    - Hot season: March-May(26-35c)
    - Rainy season: May-October(24-34c, with humidity up to 90%.) The best beach weather begins with the end of the rains in November. The dry, warm, breezy weather that follows lasts through January Night temperatures cam get down to a chilly 20c but the days around 28c-30c. Many think that December and January are best with their balmy temperatures and blue sky.
    At the end of January Sihanoukville begins to warm and continue to get hotter through July (maximum 35c). After February, the cold wind occasionally blows in from the north. December through June is said by some local outfitters to be the best scuba weather with clearer (though cooler) water than the rest of the year. We shouldn’t visit there in the last two months of rainy season because some roads are impassable.

The Economy in Sihanoukville

The Economy in Sihanoukville is primarily based on its port for imports and exports to the international economy. It has also an oil container port and cargo facilities. Other activities in the economy of the province include fishing, aquaculture, agriculture, mining, oil, factories (frozen shrimp processing, garment and Angkor Beer), real estate and tourism.
  In the last years, the number of tourists has boosted, the construction of hotels and tourism infrastructures in the province. Foreign and national investment has been proven by the presence of newcomers to the city.