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Leaving Ho Chi Minh City by bus, it only takes about 3 hours to reach Phnom Penh, the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia. This is also the first stop on a 3-night, 4-day weekend trip to the coastal city named after former King Sihanouk. You will ascend to the "heavenly" Bokor, 1,080 meters above sea level, before returning to Phnom Penh to visit palaces, temples, and shop for souvenirs to take back to Vietnam.
Cambodia is in the midst of its general election season, and along the streets of the land of temples, many images of the leaders of the parties vying for seats in the 5th National Assembly are appearing. In Phnom Penh these days, the air is filled with the sounds of traditional music and the cheers of campaign marchers echoing throughout the streets.
The palace is also bustling every day with tens of thousands of tourists visiting the palace and admiring the artifacts in the Emerald Buddha Palace. This palace has a floor lined with 6 tons of silver, and inside there is a Buddha statue weighing 90 kg of gold and studded with more than 2,000 diamonds, so tourists often call it the Golden Pagoda - Silver Pagoda.
With its pristine nature and dense forests lining both sides of the road, tourists often encounter troops of monkeys venturing onto the roads during their explorations of the land of temples and pagodas. Photo: Duy Khang
Leaving Phnom Penh, travelers arrive at the coastal city named after former King Norodom Sihanouk after traveling nearly 230 km along National Highway 4. Sihanoukville has a seaport that facilitates trade and, in particular, the development of tourism.
Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Sihanoukville is considered a "paradise" for relaxation by tourists worldwide, thanks to its pristine beaches, fine white sand, and clear blue water. On the way to the coastal resorts, visitors will never forget the sight of troops of monkeys descending from the forest on either side of the road to play.
As night falls, tourists who don't want to listen to the gentle waves can head to the vibrant and unusually attractive Western Quarter with its seaside bars. Fresh seafood in Sihanoukville is abundant, caught from the sea and prepared in Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, and Indian styles. The city also features a golden lion statue, named after the former King, whose name in Cambodian means lion (Si-ha). Before 1955, the coastal city was called Kompong Som, but the locals later renamed it Sihanouk to honor King Norodom Sihanouk for winning Cambodia's independence from the French in late 1953.
After visiting the sea, tourists begin their trek into the forest to explore the Bokor Plateau. Known as "the hump on the cow's back," it rises to over 1,080 meters above sea level and is located about 15 km from Kampot town. The weather on the summit of Bokor is very cool, around 20 degrees Celsius. In the afternoon, there is often light rain and dense fog; you can't see each other even from a distance of 5 meters. At midday, in the sunny weather, visitors can go to the Five Boats Pagoda or the statue of the goddess Ya Mao to look towards Phu Quoc and admire the beauty of the Gulf of Thailand.
Luxury resorts line the coastline of Sihanoukville. Photo: Duy Khang
This plateau, also known as Ta Lon Mountain, is located within Bokor National Park (Preah Monivong National Park) and is home to many rare flora and fauna. In 1917, the French colonialists built a resort on the summit of Bokor, including a school, post office, church, and a complex entertainment area with a casino for the upper class seeking refuge from the heat of Phnom Penh. After the ups and downs of history, including the Khmer Rouge genocide, Bokor was abandoned for decades, leading locals to call it a "ghost city" due to its desolate, dilapidated appearance and mysterious atmosphere.
By 2012, the Bokor Plateau was revived with the 5-star Thansur Bokor luxury resort and entertainment complex situated next to the dilapidated ruins. The casino left behind by the French is being restored, and a commercial area is about to spring up, making the hump on the back of the cow in Kampot even more vibrant.
Returning to Phnom Penh, visitors shouldn't forget to visit Wat Phnom, located in the heart of the capital. According to legend, in 1372, a wealthy widow named Penh discovered four Buddha statues washed ashore by the floodwaters of the Mekong River. Believing them to be messengers of good fortune, she had an earthen hill built and a temple erected on it to house the statues. In Khmer, Wat Phnom means "hill." This ancient temple, over 600 years old, has become a symbol of Phnom Penh (Wat Phnom).
The golden lion statue in the port city. In Khmer, the word Si-ha in the name of former King Sihanouk means lion. Photo: Duy Khang
Besides traditional tours from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, there are also new destinations along the Phnom Penh - Sihanoukville - Bokor Plateau route by road, and Phu Quoc - Sihanoukville by boat. The 4-day Phnom Penh - Sihanoukville - Bokor Plateau tour, departing every Saturday, costs approximately 3.8 million VND per person and includes 4-5 star hotel accommodations.
