Sihanoukville in Cambodia gets bad reports these days

[advancebooking]

If you're thinking about departing Thailand due to tough immigration rules I would think again about moving to Sihanoukville in Cambodia. If this recent article doesn't put you off I dont know what will...

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/sihanoukville-a-pothole-in-the-banana-pancake-trail-20190807-p52evw.html

 

I recently watched a SE Asian based 'youtuber' stating that the Chinese are buying out all of the small hotels in the city. The westerner found it hard to find somewhere to stay and its very expensive.

 

I visited a few times in mid 2000 thereabouts and thought it was the wild west of SE Asia. Lots of violent crimes, corrupt police/ tuk tuks etc. I was assaulted once myself and later visited the police station to get a report. They showed me a book of grisley photos- westerners who had been subjected to violent crimes. Glad to leave that place and would never go back.

 

One thing I remember back then was the shear number of alcoholic old westerners wasting their lives away.

 

If you live there or have been recently please give your opinions.

cheers

[madmen]

Was their 10 years ago. Tons of garbage around the beaches and the local rent girls we're by far the ugliest in SEA. Not been back and never will and that was before the Chinese invasion.

[phycokiller]

seems most of the expats have moved to kampot

[VBF]

Just curious......

Did you look at these two threads?

 

 

Edited August 12, 2019 by VBF

[KhunHeineken]

A recent article in an Australian newspaper.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-s-takeover-of-sihanoukville-is-almost-complete-despite-base-row-20190805-p52e44.html

[thaibeachlovers]

Used to be full of Russians, so I was told, and I've never heard anything good about the place.

[VBF]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Used to be full of Russians, so I was told, and I've never heard anything good about the place.

It's (IMO) a similar sad story to that of Phuket. Used to be a paradise but as far as "Snooky" is concerned, it's now ruined.

I was last there in 2013 when it was still lovely. Read my comments in the thread created by @KhunHeineken to which I linked in #4.

[Jip99]

10 minutes ago, VBF said:

It's (IMO) a similar sad story to that of Phuket. Used to be a paradise but as far as "Snooky" is concerned, it's now ruined.

I was last there in 2013 when it was still lovely. Read my comments in the thread created by @KhunHeineken to which I linked in #4.

 

 

+1  really enjoyed it until 2015

[helloagain]

I was booked in last xmas and new year fir 10 nights. Stayed 4 nights. Its a dump

[bender92]

I was there last month and the article you link to is accurate, but the worst thing was the pervasive smell of rotting garbage. I'll never go back. 

[chingmai331]

Wasn't there some kind of relationship between the cambo PM and the chinese developers (china govt sponsored)?  Something to do with red, or was it brown, envelopes.

Quote

 

 

[gamesgplayemail]

Somebody just landed...

 

 

[advancebooking]

In one of the articles above....

 

'

In Sihanoukville, according to Preah Sihanouk provincial police commissioner Chuon Narin, there are 156 hotels and guesthouses, 150 of which are owned by Chinese investors'

 

[Kenchamp]

I too started going there in very early 2000's, not sure the exact years but then the place was exiting and raw with an element of danger. If you were into cute Vietnamese girls for a few dollars then this was the place. I remember the old chicken farm by the port when it just went on for miles and miles. The beaches were all pretty deserted, victory hill was where you could eat and drink cheaply. Glad i saw it at it's best. Would not go near the place now, much like Phuket.

[emptypockets]

4 minutes ago, Kenchamp said:

I too started going there in very early 2000's, not sure the exact years but then the place was exiting and raw with an element of danger. If you were into cute Vietnamese girls for a few dollars then this was the place. I remember the old chicken farm by the port when it just went on for miles and miles. The beaches were all pretty deserted, victory hill was where you could eat and drink cheaply. Glad i saw it at it's best. Would not go near the place now, much like Phuket.

Vietnamese working girls in Cambodia? 

[Kenchamp]

1 minute ago, emptypockets said:

Vietnamese working girls in Cambodia? 

It was full of them then. Just thinking, it may have been the late nineties when i first went there.

[Matzzon]

Yes, it´s not good, and the same will happen in Vietnam too, due to that they are not ready for the giantic invasion. Better everybody stop complain so much about Thailand and stay put and happy.

[Letseng]

On 8/12/2019 at 7:45 PM, madmen said:

Was their 10 years ago. Tons of garbage around the beaches and the local rent girls we're by far the ugliest in SEA. Not been back and never will and that was before the Chinese invasion.

Totally agree with you. Luckily our contract ended in 2004 and we could leave. 

[Banana7]

31 minutes ago, Kenchamp said:

I too started going there in very early 2000's, not sure the exact years but then the place was exiting and raw with an element of danger. If you were into cute Vietnamese girls for a few dollars then this was the place. I remember the old chicken farm by the port when it just went on for miles and miles. The beaches were all pretty deserted, victory hill was where you could eat and drink cheaply. Glad i saw it at it's best. Would not go near the place now, much like Phuket.

Where do your recommend going now to experience the same delights?

 

[Catoni]

50 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

Where do your recommend going now to experience the same delights?

 

Haven’t been there myself, but apparently Columbia, South America is the place to go now for those delights. I’ve given it some serious thought. The big dangerous cocaine gangs that were really violent are gone in Columbia now. (Coke trade now run by smaller groups that try to avoid trouble with each other and with the government.) 

         Columbia is not like it was twenty years ago. Tourism and ex-pat retirement is picking up there. 

   But I would miss the Buddhist temples. Might be lucky to find one, tiny Buddhist temple there. (There are a couple Buddhist temples in Equador, but the Columbia girls are supposed to be much nicer and more willing.)

Edited August 14, 2019 by Catoni
Correction

[advancebooking]

1 hour ago, Kenchamp said:

I too started going there in very early 2000's, not sure the exact years but then the place was exiting and raw with an element of danger. If you were into cute Vietnamese girls for a few dollars then this was the place. I remember the old chicken farm by the port when it just went on for miles and miles. The beaches were all pretty deserted, victory hill was where you could eat and drink cheaply. Glad i saw it at it's best. Would not go near the place now, much like Phuket.

A friend and I were doing 'field research' and had a look at that chicken farm area at night time. We were in fear of being robbed whilst in the tuk tuk. A lot of dodgy / fake robberies happened between the tuk tuk drivers colluding together to rob tourists. 

 

Back then there was a lot of locals evicted from the islands living in shanty areas near the remote beaches. I heard there was a real yabba problem there and thats the reason for the violent crime.

[freebyrd]

The simple answer is don't go there, it has always attracted the wrong sort of people.

 

I've lived and worked in Cambodia for 13 years and have been to SHV 3 times for half day visits for business.

 

I lived and worked in Thailand for 6 years and went to Pattaya 4 times for 2 day stays.

 

Both places are toilets and if you put your hand in a toilet you will get s**t on it.

[HarrySeaman]

I was in Sihanoukville just under a year ago.

Sihanoukville is to all intents owed by the Chinese.

There are now over 100 casinos, all owed by Chinese or the police.  Last I heard from a resident who moved out completely this year they were building about 50 more. 

Resorts for Chinese are springing up like weeds.  Westerners are not welcomed.

The sewer system is virtually non-existent. Trash collection is sporadic at best.

Raw sewage and trash are every where.  Basically most of the town is an open sewer, and it smells like one too.
Most of the few beaches that can still be reached are covered in trash and sewage.

Kampot and Kemp are still a nice places to visit and stay but do it quickly because the Chinese are starting to buy up property in those towns.

Phnom Penn is rapidly being developed with Chinese money but lots of the fancy high rises are virtually empty, especially the high rise bank/office buildings.

[KhunBENQ]

25 minutes ago, HarrySeaman said:

I was in Sihanoukville just under a year ago.

Sihanoukville is to all intents owed by the Chinese.

Consistent with what I saw in a TV documentary.

Sad and disgusting.

Thailand beware!

(or is it too late already?)

[Tapster]

The same sort of thing is happening in Siem Reap, and many other places as has been mentioned above. In Siem Reap a year ago, our tuk-tuk guy said that China was upgrading main roads throughout the country. The number of hotels that were going up was incredible.

I spent a few days in Sihanoukville in 2011 and found it a sleepy little town with hardly any traffic; certainly not the hell hole shown in the video. It might have been the time of year as the SW monsoon was in full flow but there was no construction at all apart from some local houses.

 

*sigh*

[joecoolfrog]

4 hours ago, emptypockets said:

Vietnamese working girls in Cambodia? 

Always been a lot of Viet girls in Cambodia

[gearbox]

"If you're thinking about departing Thailand due to tough immigration rules I would think again about moving to Sihanoukville in Cambodia. If this recent article doesn't put you off I dont know what will...

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/sihanoukville-a-pothole-in-the-banana-pancake-trail-20190807-p52evw.html

 

I recently watched a SE Asian based 'youtuber' stating that the Chinese are buying out all of the small hotels in the city. The westerner found it hard to find somewhere to stay and its very expensive.

 

I visited a few times in mid 2000 thereabouts and thought it was the wild west of SE Asia. Lots of violent crimes, corrupt police/ tuk tuks etc. I was assaulted once myself and later visited the police station to get a report. They showed me a book of grisley photos- westerners who had been subjected to violent crimes. Glad to leave that place and would never go back.

 

One thing I remember back then was the shear number of alcoholic old westerners wasting their lives away.

 

If you live there or have been recently please give your opinions.

cheers"

 

I haven't been there for 2 years but still know people around. The standard of living is up due to the influx of Chinese money, and the prices are up too. Apparently the Chinese are building also a proper road between Pnom Penh and Sihanoukville. The western trash living cheaply there on 50c beers and pot is almost gone, and many of the working girls have moved to Kampot and Phnom Penh. 

It would have been better if the Chinese invest in something else than casinos, as I would imagine the casinos won't attract the best behaving Chinese tourists, but this is what they managed to get. For the locals it is probably still better than the previous Western investments in beer bars...

[Berkshire]

2 hours ago, HarrySeaman said:

I was in Sihanoukville just under a year ago.

Sihanoukville is to all intents owed by the Chinese.

There are now over 100 casinos, all owed by Chinese or the police.  Last I heard from a resident who moved out completely this year they were building about 50 more. 

Resorts for Chinese are springing up like weeds.  Westerners are not welcomed.

The sewer system is virtually non-existent. Trash collection is sporadic at best.

Raw sewage and trash are every where.  Basically most of the town is an open sewer, and it smells like one too.
Most of the few beaches that can still be reached are covered in trash and sewage.

Kampot and Kemp are still a nice places to visit and stay but do it quickly because the Chinese are starting to buy up property in those towns.

Phnom Penn is rapidly being developed with Chinese money but lots of the fancy high rises are virtually empty, especially the high rise bank/office buildings.

It sure does sound like the corrupt Cambodia government is selling out the country to the Chinese.  Just horrible, especially to the common Cambodian.  They'll have nothing left of a country....or end up servants to the Chinese.  Sure hope Thailand doesn't go that way. 

[gearbox]

1 minute ago, Berkshire said:

It sure does sound like the corrupt Cambodia government is selling out the country to the Chinese.  Just horrible, especially to the common Cambodian.  They'll have nothing left of a country....or end up servants to the Chinese.  Sure hope Thailand doesn't go that way. 

They were servants to the Westerners before for much less money. Now if they a bit wiser they would use the extra money to send their children to school instead of buying Camrys. The number of illiterate people is massive there. The country can't move forward without a big uplift in education.

[Kenchamp]

6 hours ago, advancebooking said:

A friend and I were doing 'field research' and had a look at that chicken farm area at night time. We were in fear of being robbed whilst in the tuk tuk. A lot of dodgy / fake robberies happened between the tuk tuk drivers colluding together to rob tourists. 

 

Back then there was a lot of locals evicted from the islands living in shanty areas near the remote beaches. I heard there was a real yabba problem there and thats the reason for the violent crime.

You also had to be wary of rogue or fake moto riders (often police or army personnel out of uniform) who would pull a gun on an unsuspecting target, then rob them. As i said previously, there was danger and you had to have your wits about you, but it was fun.