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 Sihanoukville
according Don Bosco
The city port of
Sihanoukville is also known as Kampong Som or Kampong
Saom. It is located at the south of Cambodia, at the
shores of the Gulf of Thailand. The city was founded by
King Norodom Sihanouk in 1964 as the international port
of the country being the newest urban center of
Cambodia. The name honors King Sihanouk. During the
Khmer Rouge era (1975-1979) the city had little
influence in the economics of the country. In modern
times it is not only the place for international trade
but also it is becoming an important tourist spot due to
its amazing beaches and views. By 2006 it is stimated
that Sihanoukville welcomed 320 thousand tourists, up by
30% from 2005. Excellent models of the ancient Khmer
architecture in its pagodas, a view of hills and sea and
amazing sunsets are characteristics of one of the most attractive
spots of Cambodia.
Generalities
The city of Sihanoukville is located in a Bay just
midway between Thailand and Vietnam. There are several
islands off the costs and beaches contour the city from
north to south. The main spots are Victory Beach,
Lanherkay Beach, Koh Pos Beach, Independence Beach,
Sokha Beach, Serendipity Beach and Occheuteal Beach. Don
Bosco School is about 2 kilometers away of this last
one. There are many ways to go to the islands through
tourist agencies with services like island hopping,
diving, snorkeling and game fishing.
Some hills make Sihanoukville a lovely place of
wonderful views. Sunsets use to be special and one of
the favorite places to see it is the Upper Pagoda (Wat
Leu). In the Sihanoukville's downtown you can find
cafes, shops, banking services, international
restaurants and the popular market. However it is not a
big city, there is not a public transport such as buses
but some taxis and it is popular to be transported by
moto-taxis (motodop).
You can come to Sihanoukville by sea from Thailand
through Koh Kong (it expends around three hours by
boat). Many foreigners use that route. Buses go to Phnom
Penh at 7:00 and 13:00 and it takes four hours. The
buses are fair. From Sihanoukville you can visit also
Kept, another city in the Cambodian coast at the east,
no far from the Vietnamese border. Going to Kept spends
above 2 hours by car. Near Sihanoukville is also the
Natural Park of Bao Koh, a mountain with several
waterfalls. There is also an excursion for tourists
leaded by the administration of the park that involve
the river and the sea.
The National Airport of Sihanoukville has been given
to the public services recently with flights to Siem
Riep. There is only a flight per week.
Hotels
There are many hotels and guest houses in
Sihanoukville, much of them near the beach. You can find
rooms per U$5 night and US$10 with AC. You can find
hotels of high rank as five starts in Sihanoukville with
rooms up to U$100 and more. Among them we have the Don
Bosco Hotel School to educate youth of poor
conditions in the skill of welcome guests, international
food and tourist guide.
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