Phnom Penh, located at the confluence of three rivers which include the Mekong, the Bassac and Tonle Sap, is the capital city of Cambodia with an approximate population of two million people and covers an area of 290 square kilometers. This area has become the most popular tourist area in Cambodia because there are many famous tourist attractions in Phnom Penh.
Photo: The 'Phnom' or 'Hill' from which
Phnom Penh takes its name
Phnom Penh was founded by a rich old lady named Penh after she had found four bronze Buddha statues and one stone Buddha in a hollow Koki tree trunk on the bank of the Mekong River. She then set up a sanctuary on the Phnom (meaning 'hill' in Khmer) and monks were then invited to settle at the foot of the hill. Therefore, Phnom Penh literally means 'Hill of Penh'.
Phnom Penh is basically divided into three areas making up of the beautiful residential area in the north, the French section with its ministries, banks and colonial houses in the south and the heart of the city with its narrow lanes, markets, food stalls and shops in the center.
Phnom Penh's heritage is rich and varied as shown through its history as a Buddhist shrine in the 14th century, Cambodia's capital in the 15th century and a French colonial center in the 19th century. Today tourists find a bustling, multicultural city at the confluence of the three rivers. Despite the dilapidation resulting from decades of war, Phnom Penh still retains its traditional Khmer and colonial charm with the French villas along tree-lined boulevards reminding visitors that it was once considered the finest city in Indochina. The crumbling colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to bustling street side cafes and the redeveloped riverfront precinct has become a lively area on Friday and Saturday nights.
Wat Ounalom and Wat Phnom are among the many remarkable places of interest in Phnom Penh and other top attractions that can be found include the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda whereby its floor is made up of 5,329 silver tiles and the National Museum, a tall-roofed, deep red terra-cotta structure filled with treasures from the Khmer temples of Angkor. The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) is a famous hangout for journals and tourists.
Phnom Penh is now a major industrial, commercial, communication and tourism centre with one of the most beautiful river fronts in the region and it is definitely a place not to be missed as it is more relaxed than Saigon, more alive than Vientiane, more sincere than Bangkok and the fabled temples of Angkor, the country's main draw, are just 300 kilometers away.
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