Running A Bar In Sihanoukville,Cambodia

[JimSiam]

Does anyone run a bar in Sihanoukville or have experience doing business there, I would like to know more.

[Ricci]

You have to go there and see for yourself.

Snooky is still ruled by the Governor. Today you legally own something ... tomorrow ...naw, not anymore.

A bunch of cheap Pattaya Losers and mostly Backpackers are there.

Bring enuogh money and patience with you and you should be good to go.
For a small fortune, of course. Don't even think of getting rich there.

Do business with the Cambodians.
They have much more money.

[Wimbledon]

Go there and stay a few months to see for yourself . ! U need large ones to survive!

[davidst01]

Watch out for the yabba addicted locals who resort to violent crime as they wish. Any business disputes in the wild west town of snookyville will be dealt with by aggressive cambodians. If you thought thailand was bad...

[rarky]

Keep in mind that Sihanoukville has a rather long wet/quiet season, you will need to have plenty of savings in order to cover your expenses over that period. To be honest SV has far too many bars as it is, and many people's businesses do fail...there one week, gone the next. Be prepared...and be very wary.

I would suggest anyone considering opening any kind of business anywhere in Cambodia, spend several months living there first, get to know how everything works, do your market research, see what the quiet season is like. Far too many people come here expecting to make it, and end up running home with their tails between their legs and broke...or they just end up stuck here broke and homeless.

[wdwflash]

God no, stay away, don't come here (Sihanoukville). We are just a bunch of Pattaya losers and Backpackers? (Kind of like losers that post nothing but negative things and mindless drivel.)

Personally I traveled in Thailand for 32 years. I was going to retire on Ko Samui until I found Sihanoulkville (Snooky). Sure its a diamond-in-the-rough and a little bit of the wild-west, but its a country that is just coming out of a dark period and is missing a whole generation of people that were killed/died/escaped. It really reminds me of Thailand 30 years ago, but with a missing generation.

One year visa is $290.us at you local travel agent and they could care less if you work (unlike Thailand.) Drivers license is $65.us for the first time and $45. renewal (at same travel agent.) Traffic fines are about one to two dollars and you pay the cop. (his beer money and livelihood.)

As to starting a business or bar. Yes, go have a look first. If you haven't run a bar or restaurant before you better have enough money to tide you over for a couple of lean years. Every government official will have a hand out for money. (but its usually not a whole lot of money.) Bars here are like musical chairs they change just about every week. The good ones have location, location, location. If you just want a hobby, lease a cheap bar, if you need income right away your chances of success are next to zero.

Like Pattaya of old, the downtown beach is filthy, but unlike Pattaya there are some great beachs elsewhere in town. The offshore islands have some really great beachs. The roads are a joke and dangerous. This is real combat driving. There are really cheap rooms and food, but also some nice a-little-up-market accomodations. I know of three bungalow complex's being built at the moment and one of them is within walking distance of two beach's. (all of these aimed at expats.)

Cambodian Angkor Air is owned by Vietnam Airlines and they could care less about flying into Snooky, but Cambodian Airlines is going to start flying in soon, and are owned 49% my San Miguel Corp, who owns 49% of Philippine Airlines. They have stated that they will spend $1.5 billion dollars on airplanes in the next two years. Once Cambodian Air starts flying into Snookyville the whole game changes. No more 4 hour bus ride from Phnom Phen to Snooky on the Death-Highway-To-Hell (Hwy #4, a real death-trap with stoned/drink truck/container truck drivers.)

The bottom line is that Thailand doesn't want us expats anymore (come in for a couple weeks, spend your money and leave!) Also Sihanoukville is the only city in SouthEast Asia that has Casinos that are right on white sand beachs. (or very near them)

[phuketrichard]

Singapore has a casino on Sentosa, maybe not right on, but close to the beach

Been told to make it profitable to fly in, they need more 3-5 star hotels in SHV before they will offer more flights,

Once they get those ......

As to bars, u need sell Many many $.50 beers and $3 meals to make a profit

[Sheryl]

In Cambodia (and for that matter Thailand too) the rule is - don't invest more than you can afford to lose.

Visas and rules re foreigners working are much easier in Camb than LOS, but "rule of law" is much less, i.e. almost nil. If someone "influential" wants your business or the land it is on, they are going to take it and that's that. Of course that is true in Thailand as well but the frequency with which it occurs is rather more in Camb.

With that caveat, if you can afford to risk some capital, go for it.