Is Sihanoukville the most dangerous place in SE Asia?

[Sheryl]

I think it worth noting that Cambodia in general is not a "late night" country. Stores and restaurants (except in a few tourist ghettoes) close early and locals are home in bed at a comparatively early hour. ..and then up at the crack of dawn. 7 or 8 AM being considered normal hours for starting work and (as many of us have learned to our dismay) 6 AM is considered a perfectly normal time for visiting or calling upon friends.... that's just the way it is here.

As a result, streets are dark and quiet much earlier than they would be in other places. and here as anywhere else, a dark quiet street is not an advisable place for a stroll.

Simple rule of thumb: if you don't see "normal" (i.e. not dodgy, and both men and women) looking locals walking about, it is not the best idea for you to be either.

The problem of course is that most tourists and many expats want some nightlife. fair enough. But have it with due caution keeping in mind that say 10-11 PM in Cambodia is analogous to maybe 2-3 AM in your home country in terms of safety walking the streets: all the (local) decent folk are home asleep already.

This is true everywhere in Camb, nothing unique to SHV. It is just not a country of night owls, much the opposite.

Really? That may be true of Kampot, Kep and Battambang, but not really of SHV. Plenty of 24 hour pubs across the city, all night dance bars on Serendipity beach, Khmer food at the market till around 5am. But yes, some areas are deserted after midnight because the Khmers are early to bed and early to rise (though trying to get the GF out this annoying habit)

A lot of the crime takes place in or around Serendipity which is pretty much 24/7. Glue sniffers do the bag snatches during day when folk are in sea, and then the ice heads come out at night and do snatches on motos. There have also been a few incidences of drinks being spiked at said dance bars.

But still feel safer here than many other parts of Asia. (the 10,000volt taser helps)

I know there are tourist/expat venues that are late night, point I was trying to make is that the Khmer world around it and in which these are situated is an early to bed one. So it is only the tourists and those who make money off them (legitimately or otherwise) that are up and about late at night. "Late at night" in Cambodia being 9 PM onward.

When I go to SHV I usually stay with Cambodian friends so I am more attuned to the Cambodian SHV than the touristy/expat one and believe me, it goes to bed by 9 PM. Unless employedi n a tourist venue.

There is safety in numbers and if you confine your movements to areas with lots of other travelers/expats about you'll be OK. But do not go off wandering nor walk the streets or stroll along the beach beyond lit areas near where you are staying.

[Dr Strange]

I think it worth noting that Cambodia in general is not a "late night" country. Stores and restaurants (except in a few tourist ghettoes) close early and locals are home in bed at a comparatively early hour. ..and then up at the crack of dawn. 7 or 8 AM being considered normal hours for starting work and (as many of us have learned to our dismay) 6 AM is considered a perfectly normal time for visiting or calling upon friends.... that's just the way it is here.

As a result, streets are dark and quiet much earlier than they would be in other places. and here as anywhere else, a dark quiet street is not an advisable place for a stroll.

Simple rule of thumb: if you don't see "normal" (i.e. not dodgy, and both men and women) looking locals walking about, it is not the best idea for you to be either.

The problem of course is that most tourists and many expats want some nightlife. fair enough. But have it with due caution keeping in mind that say 10-11 PM in Cambodia is analogous to maybe 2-3 AM in your home country in terms of safety walking the streets: all the (local) decent folk are home asleep already.

This is true everywhere in Camb, nothing unique to SHV. It is just not a country of night owls, much the opposite.

Really? That may be true of Kampot, Kep and Battambang, but not really of SHV. Plenty of 24 hour pubs across the city, all night dance bars on Serendipity beach, Khmer food at the market till around 5am. But yes, some areas are deserted after midnight because the Khmers are early to bed and early to rise (though trying to get the GF out this annoying habit)

A lot of the crime takes place in or around Serendipity which is pretty much 24/7. Glue sniffers do the bag snatches during day when folk are in sea, and then the ice heads come out at night and do snatches on motos. There have also been a few incidences of drinks being spiked at said dance bars.

But still feel safer here than many other parts of Asia. (the 10,000volt taser helps)

I know there are tourist/expat venues that are late night, point I was trying to make is that the Khmer world around it and in which these are situated is an early to bed one. So it is only the tourists and those who make money off them (legitimately or otherwise) that are up and about late at night. "Late at night" in Cambodia being 9 PM onward.

When I go to SHV I usually stay with Cambodian friends so I am more attuned to the Cambodian SHV than the touristy/expat one and believe me, it goes to bed by 9 PM. Unless employedi n a tourist venue.

There is safety in numbers and if you confine your movements to areas with lots of other travelers/expats about you'll be OK. But do not go off wandering nor walk the streets or stroll along the beach beyond lit areas near where you are staying.

Agree totally...but they don't. I shake my head when I see the lone female traveller with her bag slung casually over her shoulder, or the backpackers who drink anything handed to them, or the tourist carrying an expensive camera on a semi deserted beach and...well I could go on, but you get the gist

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Been there no less than 20 times, never had a problem but then I stay sober, speak the language and know the culture (can read the people/recongnize danger signs) all of which make a difference.

If you want to experience a genuinely "dodgy" place in Cambodia I suggest you hang out in Poipet or Noek Loueng (Prey Veng ferry crossing). Or Bavet.

LOL. You've just made me decide to stay on the bus to and from HCMC.

[phuketrichard]

street 51 ( walkabout/Soriya mall area, heart of darkness) is full on till 6 am when most Khmers are off to work :-)

Head out to the provicnes and try and find somehwere to eat past 9 pm and u would be realy lucky to find anything open.

Fpr dodgy head to Pailin

[LivinginKata]

inflammatory/unhelpful post removed.

[Dr Strange]

street 51 ( walkabout/Soriya mall area, heart of darkness) is full on till 6 am when most Khmers are off to work :-)

Head out to the provicnes and try and find somehwere to eat past 9 pm and u would be realy lucky to find anything open.

Fpr dodgy head to Pailin

Em, do keep up/. We're discussing Sihanoukville, not Phnom Penh!!!

[Sheryl]

Been there no less than 20 times, never had a problem but then I stay sober, speak the language and know the culture (can read the people/recongnize danger signs) all of which make a difference.

If you want to experience a genuinely "dodgy" place in Cambodia I suggest you hang out in Poipet or Noek Loueng (Prey Veng ferry crossing). Or Bavet.

LOL. You've just made me decide to stay on the bus to and from HCMC.

A shame..I was going to ask you to give my regards to the guys wearing mirrored sunglasses

[bikkalad]

Rose coloured rocks .....

[Hardened Spanker]

I can confirm that Sihanoukville is indeed a very dangerous place,I have on many occasions been attacked by very beautiful and nubile Khmer cuties,generally while minding my own business in The Dolphin Bar.

These girls have forced me back to my hotel and had their way with me all night long,a very harrowing experience that has left me shocked and exhausted,their stamina is quite staggering.

Be careful out there,it's a jungle!

[Hardened Spanker]

I think it worth noting that Cambodia in general is not a "late night" country. Stores and restaurants (except in a few tourist ghettoes) close early and locals are home in bed at a comparatively early hour. ..and then up at the crack of dawn. 7 or 8 AM being considered normal hours for starting work and (as many of us have learned to our dismay) 6 AM is considered a perfectly normal time for visiting or calling upon friends.... that's just the way it is here.

As a result, streets are dark and quiet much earlier than they would be in other places. and here as anywhere else, a dark quiet street is not an advisable place for a stroll.

Simple rule of thumb: if you don't see "normal" (i.e. not dodgy, and both men and women) looking locals walking about, it is not the best idea for you to be either.

The problem of course is that most tourists and many expats want some nightlife. fair enough. But have it with due caution keeping in mind that say 10-11 PM in Cambodia is analogous to maybe 2-3 AM in your home country in terms of safety walking the streets: all the (local) decent folk are home asleep already.

This is true everywhere in Camb, nothing unique to SHV. It is just not a country of night owls, much the opposite.

I know for a start that G'Day Mate,the Aussie bar/hostel near to the bus station is 24-hours.Pretty sure there's a few others down on the beach also?

[bikkalad]

I can confirm that Sihanoukville is indeed a very dangerous place,I have on many occasions been attacked by very beautiful and nubile Khmer cuties,generally while minding my own business in The Dolphin Bar.

These girls have forced me back to my hotel and had their way with me all night long,a very harrowing experience that has left me shocked and exhausted,their stamina is quite staggering.

Be careful out there,it's a jungle!

Terrible Terrible news.....i hope you have seeked professional counseling over your "harrowing experience" how much was you "robbed" for such an experience???

[bender92]

I was there in April this year, no problems. I walked around and spent time at the casino. I didn't see any bad characters hanging around. Same at the beach and the street one block behind the beach.

[jackinthebox]

Sihanoukville IS dangerous. I went there for a short VISA-run in august last year. I was robbed in full daylight (1pm) on the big road from traffic-roundabout to the beach - I was riding a rented bicycle, guys snatched my bag. Had bruises and injuries all over my body. When you lie on the road bleeding like a pig and see the guys drive away with your brandnew camera you really feel like a piece of shit. I am sure they had knives, and if I had shown any resistance they would have beaten me or even cut my throat. Police is a farce of course. Anyone who tells me he sees "no bad guys" here: I am sure if there are 3 young men on a motorbike they are mostely bandits (because that is how bag-snachting works, you can't perform it alone and hardly by 2 - it must be the man in the middle who graps the bag and the third who keeps him from falling).

Oh - and of course, to all who say "Use your brain", "Don*t behave reckless" or "Would you wander around alone or drunk in your hometown?" I can answer: Yes, I wander around alone, even shitfaced in BKK, in Pattaya and in Frankfurt, somtimes at 2am, and it has never been a problem in any city. You can get out your camera and take pictures everywhere in SEA. In my opinion where chance of being robbed in europe or in Thailand is 1:100, in Sihanoukville it is 100:1.

[rhythmworx]

Shit I best cancel my trip, I might visit Mindanao instead.

[drx13]

Sihanoukville IS dangerous. I went there for a short VISA-run in august last year. I was robbed in full daylight (1pm) on the big road from traffic-roundabout to the beach - I was riding a rented bicycle, guys snatched my bag. Had bruises and injuries all over my body. When you lie on the road bleeding like a pig and see the guys drive away with your brandnew camera you really feel like a piece of shit. I am sure they had knives, and if I had shown any resistance they would have beaten me or even cut my throat. Police is a farce of course. Anyone who tells me he sees "no bad guys" here: I am sure if there are 3 young men on a motorbike they are mostely bandits (because that is how bag-snachting works, you can't perform it alone and hardly by 2 - it must be the man in the middle who graps the bag and the third who keeps him from falling).

Oh - and of course, to all who say "Use your brain", "Don*t behave reckless" or "Would you wander around alone or drunk in your hometown?" I can answer: Yes, I wander around alone, even shitfaced in BKK, in Pattaya and in Frankfurt, somtimes at 2am, and it has never been a problem in any city. You can get out your camera and take pictures everywhere in SEA. In my opinion where chance of being robbed in europe or in Thailand is 1:100, in Sihanoukville it is 100:1.

Read this just in time ! Was going to bike there this week..Any alternatives..Laos, Vietnam Perhaps

[jackinthebox]

Sihanoukville IS dangerous. I went there for a short VISA-run in august last year. I was robbed in full daylight (1pm) on the big road from traffic-roundabout to the beach - I was riding a rented bicycle, guys snatched my bag. Had bruises and injuries all over my body. When you lie on the road bleeding like a pig and see the guys drive away with your brandnew camera you really feel like a piece of shit. I am sure they had knives, and if I had shown any resistance they would have beaten me or even cut my throat. Police is a farce of course. Anyone who tells me he sees "no bad guys" here: I am sure if there are 3 young men on a motorbike they are mostely bandits (because that is how bag-snachting works, you can't perform it alone and hardly by 2 - it must be the man in the middle who graps the bag and the third who keeps him from falling).

Oh - and of course, to all who say "Use your brain", "Don*t behave reckless" or "Would you wander around alone or drunk in your hometown?" I can answer: Yes, I wander around alone, even shitfaced in BKK, in Pattaya and in Frankfurt, somtimes at 2am, and it has never been a problem in any city. You can get out your camera and take pictures everywhere in SEA. In my opinion where chance of being robbed in europe or in Thailand is 1:100, in Sihanoukville it is 100:1.

Read this just in time ! Was going to bike there this week..Any alternatives..Laos, Vietnam Perhaps

In general: the more Western Tourists, the more robbery. I don't know Vietnam, as for Laos, I felt more safe - but it's landlocked, so if you want to see nice beaches you'd have to go where the tourists are (i.e. Vietnam or Myanmar). But in general - better leave all your valuables in a hotel safe. Don't carry ANY bag. By the way: Maybe elswhere in Cambodia it's not as dangerous as Sihanoukville (see the Original Post), so if you drive around in Battambang or SieamReap it's less problem. If you consider cycling at the beach I would suggest KohKong, close to thai boarder (great landscape) or maybe Kep. Oh, and your bike may shouldn't be worth more than 1000.-$.

Edited March 18, 2014 by jackinthebox

[mrdome]

The problem is statistics/other people's perception vs. personal experience.

One cannot convince anyone who has been attacked/robbed that the location is safe anymore, yet not much changed for everyone else and the average crime rate there. On the other hand, you cannot convince another person who knows the whole country or region very well that the place is now "the most dangerous".

We can only hope that "our number isn't up" wherever we may travel, either by being clocked by a bad guy or an accident.

Oh and best not to resist a robbery attempt.

Edited April 1, 2014 by mrdome

[lee b]

According to the book, where the guy travels there in search of a girl from Pattaya it is not really a nice place. But i can't judge it as never been there...Yet anyway

[ding]

I wonder if 'sheryl' has even been to snookyville? It is a dodgy place for tourists to visit and a high percentage do get robbed or worse in that place. Maybe PP is rated worse on the danger aspect but this is only due to population numbers. For a small place like snookyville with small population it does have a high danger element to it and backpackers should be aware.

I personally cant think of anywhere more dodgy in SE Asia than Sihanoukville for a backpacker and I have travelled everywhere

I wonder if YOU have ever been to Sihanoukville...or maybe you have as a backpacker/tourist?

Have you really travelled everywhere? And you still reckon Sihanoukville is dodgier than anywhere else in SE Asia?...I call bullshit!

It is true, a lot of backpackers get shit stolen, because they get drunk out of their minds and fail to apply basic personal security tactics...but this happens everywhere in the world.

I am not a huge fan of Snooky, but there is a lot of misinformation and unnecessary scaremongering occurring about the place lately. Anyone who says it is the most dangerous/dodgy place in SE Asia has either spent their time "flashpacking" or has no fkn idea what they're talking about!

Whats the name of the bar you own Rarky????

If anyone googles 'dangers of sihanoukville' you will see numerous threads on snookyville. There's a story on trip advisor (copy and paste below). This is a typical snookyville story and thus one should be careful if visiting snookyville which I agree has to be one of the dodgiest places in Asia. I've been there many times and know fully well how shady the police are, the dodgy tuk tuk drivers and all the problems with the guys on yabba. 'Travellingmark' has an interesting blog on this subject matter if you want to google it.

''Me and my partner and best friend are in Sihanoukville now, after spending 6months travelling in South-East Asia. We have genuinely loved Cambodia so far... until 2 nights ago when we were brutally attacked... TWICE.

My boyfriend and I were walking along the beach in the evening on our way home from a bar, when a Cambodian man ran past, grabbed my bag from my shoulder and bolted into the darkness. (In it was my camera, both our phones, ipods, money etc). We walked about 40 meters from the beach to the main road looking for help. We both looked obviously upset and distressed, and to add insult to injury (or injury to insult in this case) a middle aged white man who was sitting in a tuk-tuk by the road ran at us from behind, beating my boyfriend around the head with a metal bar. I started screaming as my boyfriend fell to the floor, at which point the man turned around, ran at me, and smashed my face in with the bar. He then got back in the tuk-tuk and drove away. He didn't speak, or take anything (we clearly had already been robbed minutes earlier). The tuk-tuk driver, a Cambodian man, just watched. A group of Cambodian people who were sat eating nearby immediately ran away also, clearly not wanting to get involved. We staggered up the street hysterical and bleeding, when another Cambodian man turned up and took us to the police booth. The policeman on duty took one look at us and laughed, telling us it was not his problem, and to go away before he arrested us for disturbing his nap. Within minutes, a group of about 70 people were surrounding us trying to help, including a Cambodian man who said "I saw everything, I was the man's tuk-tuk driver." When asked where he took the man, he promptly changed his story and left. Someone rang the police who were annoyed that there was no money in it for them (they wanted us to pay them to find the criminals), and told us to go to hospital. Some friendly Russian men took us to hospital, paying for the tuk-tuk. The hospital staff would not treat my partner for his head injury, then proceeded to stitch my face up without anaesthetic! Horrific pain. One of the Russian guys helping us was actually weeping seeing the distress we were in. They did not treat me for my clearly broken nose, or ask if we had other injuries. Then, they were reluctant to let us leave because we couldn't pay the bill - even though we explained we had just been robbed and needed to get in touch with our insurance company.

My mum, back home in England, got in touch with a member of the British Embassy based in Sihanoukville, who came to our hotel and helped us. He first took us to the general purpose chief of police who said it was not his problem - we needed to go to the tourist chief of police. We went there, and this policeman accused us of everything being our fault, and told us to go back the next day. We returned the next day to get a police report, which we had to write ourselves, and it had a word limit! They also demanded that we omit the whole metal-bar violent attack part because it would look bad on their records!! We wrote it on anyway because none of them could speak or read English. The British Ambassador told us no investigation would take place, as the police worked pretty much solely on bribes, and even if they did catch the two separate criminals, they would be able to pay off the police so there would be no just outcome.

The horror of this ordeal has left us distressed, traumatised and massively out of pocket (but thankfully our insurance are going to cover it). Since then I have read up about the vast amount of crime that occurs and goes unreported or unsolved in the area. I still love Cambodia, but would advise anyone who visits Sihanoukville to exercise extreme caution, even when traveling in groups. And if you are unlucky enough to experience crime, make sure you get all the correct documentation needed for insurance, and do not have faith in the police.''

Sounds like a twisted expat or tourist piling on for sick kicks. This should be an indictment of westerners and separated from an implication about a Cambodian city. The Cambodians robbed. The middle aged white guy was flat out sick and wrong. The violent danger to be wary of in this story is from middle aged white men, not SihanoukVille.

I'd bet there IS a lot of untallied crime and few stats, however.

Some of my old Solo traveller basics FWIW, I've always worn a money belt, and I never carry a bag ...unless it says 7-11 on it. For the beach I have a submersible bag and bury it under the sand. Then put a sucker bag over the top for some crakhead to grab instead.

[TheSiemReaper]

Sihanoukville's a bit grotty for my tastes but it's hardly the "most dangerous place in SE Asia". I've never known anyone here to get into any real trouble there; it tends to be the really stupid or the really drunk who do. You'd think that leaving your bag on the beach unattended was highly advisable in the rest of the world from the whining that goes on when a bag gets stolen or that it would be a good idea to square up to your taxi driver and his amtes after 10 pints of lager and a bottle of scotch because you didn't feel like paying in London or New York...

[Dee Kwa]

I live in Sihanoukville. Moved here end of July from Bangkok, and I feel infinitely safer than I did there. So here are some facts from someone actually on the ground here.

Yes, there was an increase in crime, especially around the time of the election and its aftermath when lots of SHV police were sent up to Phnom Penh and a lot of the crims went the opposite way

Yes, bag snatching can happen a lot, but can be avoidable with a little common sense. (I lose sympathy when I see someone walking down the street using an ipad openly)

Yes, if you leave your bag unattended on beach, there is a good chance it will get stolen by one of the super fast kids

But...

There has been a lot of work and liaison between the tourist association and the police. Police now have visible presence in town and on expat pages here. Arrests are up, crime is down a little.

The incidences of violent crime against tourists is VERY VERY low compared to many other parts of SE Asia. In 4 months I have seen one violent incident and that was Khmer on Khmer

So, to summarise; SHV is as safe if not safer than most tourist destinations in SE Asia and if you apply a little common sense to your stay here, you will not be a victim of any crime

You must have been living in a VERY low rent neighbourhood in Bangkok, if this is the case.

As for the Ipad comment, is that the same way as a rape victim deserves no sympathy if she was wearing a short skirt?

[spidermike007]

I wonder if 'sheryl' has even been to snookyville? It is a dodgy place for tourists to visit and a high percentage do get robbed or worse in that place. Maybe PP is rated worse on the danger aspect but this is only due to population numbers. For a small place like snookyville with small population it does have a high danger element to it and backpackers should be aware.

I personally cant think of anywhere more dodgy in SE Asia than Sihanoukville for a backpacker and I have travelled everywhere

I wonder if YOU have ever been to Sihanoukville...or maybe you have as a backpacker/tourist?

Have you really travelled everywhere? And you still reckon Sihanoukville is dodgier than anywhere else in SE Asia?...I call bullshit!

It is true, a lot of backpackers get shit stolen, because they get drunk out of their minds and fail to apply basic personal security tactics...but this happens everywhere in the world.

I am not a huge fan of Snooky, but there is a lot of misinformation and unnecessary scaremongering occurring about the place lately. Anyone who says it is the most dangerous/dodgy place in SE Asia has either spent their time "flashpacking" or has no fkn idea what they're talking about!

Whats the name of the bar you own Rarky????

If anyone googles 'dangers of sihanoukville' you will see numerous threads on snookyville. There's a story on trip advisor (copy and paste below). This is a typical snookyville story and thus one should be careful if visiting snookyville which I agree has to be one of the dodgiest places in Asia. I've been there many times and know fully well how shady the police are, the dodgy tuk tuk drivers and all the problems with the guys on yabba. 'Travellingmark' has an interesting blog on this subject matter if you want to google it.

''Me and my partner and best friend are in Sihanoukville now, after spending 6months travelling in South-East Asia. We have genuinely loved Cambodia so far... until 2 nights ago when we were brutally attacked... TWICE.

My boyfriend and I were walking along the beach in the evening on our way home from a bar, when a Cambodian man ran past, grabbed my bag from my shoulder and bolted into the darkness. (In it was my camera, both our phones, ipods, money etc). We walked about 40 meters from the beach to the main road looking for help. We both looked obviously upset and distressed, and to add insult to injury (or injury to insult in this case) a middle aged white man who was sitting in a tuk-tuk by the road ran at us from behind, beating my boyfriend around the head with a metal bar. I started screaming as my boyfriend fell to the floor, at which point the man turned around, ran at me, and smashed my face in with the bar. He then got back in the tuk-tuk and drove away. He didn't speak, or take anything (we clearly had already been robbed minutes earlier). The tuk-tuk driver, a Cambodian man, just watched. A group of Cambodian people who were sat eating nearby immediately ran away also, clearly not wanting to get involved. We staggered up the street hysterical and bleeding, when another Cambodian man turned up and took us to the police booth. The policeman on duty took one look at us and laughed, telling us it was not his problem, and to go away before he arrested us for disturbing his nap. Within minutes, a group of about 70 people were surrounding us trying to help, including a Cambodian man who said "I saw everything, I was the man's tuk-tuk driver." When asked where he took the man, he promptly changed his story and left. Someone rang the police who were annoyed that there was no money in it for them (they wanted us to pay them to find the criminals), and told us to go to hospital. Some friendly Russian men took us to hospital, paying for the tuk-tuk. The hospital staff would not treat my partner for his head injury, then proceeded to stitch my face up without anaesthetic! Horrific pain. One of the Russian guys helping us was actually weeping seeing the distress we were in. They did not treat me for my clearly broken nose, or ask if we had other injuries. Then, they were reluctant to let us leave because we couldn't pay the bill - even though we explained we had just been robbed and needed to get in touch with our insurance company.

My mum, back home in England, got in touch with a member of the British Embassy based in Sihanoukville, who came to our hotel and helped us. He first took us to the general purpose chief of police who said it was not his problem - we needed to go to the tourist chief of police. We went there, and this policeman accused us of everything being our fault, and told us to go back the next day. We returned the next day to get a police report, which we had to write ourselves, and it had a word limit! They also demanded that we omit the whole metal-bar violent attack part because it would look bad on their records!! We wrote it on anyway because none of them could speak or read English. The British Ambassador told us no investigation would take place, as the police worked pretty much solely on bribes, and even if they did catch the two separate criminals, they would be able to pay off the police so there would be no just outcome.

The horror of this ordeal has left us distressed, traumatised and massively out of pocket (but thankfully our insurance are going to cover it). Since then I have read up about the vast amount of crime that occurs and goes unreported or unsolved in the area. I still love Cambodia, but would advise anyone who visits Sihanoukville to exercise extreme caution, even when traveling in groups. And if you are unlucky enough to experience crime, make sure you get all the correct documentation needed for insurance, and do not have faith in the police.''

Pretty amazing post. Yes, for all the complaints you see about Thailand on these forums, I still think it beats Cambodia, on at least 10 different levels. Unfortunately Hun Sen has left Cambodia quite a seething mess. The police are ridiculously corrupt, and if any police are more corrupt, less effective, and more useless than the Thai police, it may the the Cambodian police. And the government. Where to start. Any PM who has a personal security detail of 5,000 men, has some serious explaining to do. Hun Sen is one of the most heinous men to walk the planet in the last few decades. The amount of land his henchmen have stolen boggles the mind. The lack of basic worker rights. I could go on and on and on. So, I do not doubt the lack of basic safety in his personal fiefdom.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[spidermike007]

I can confirm that Sihanoukville is indeed a very dangerous place,I have on many occasions been attacked by very beautiful and nubile Khmer cuties,generally while minding my own business in The Dolphin Bar.

These girls have forced me back to my hotel and had their way with me all night long,a very harrowing experience that has left me shocked and exhausted,their stamina is quite staggering.

Be careful out there,it's a jungle!

Terrible Terrible news.....i hope you have seeked professional counseling over your "harrowing experience" how much was you "robbed" for such an experience???

Typically $20 each time. Amazing how consistent the robbers are.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[hanno]

Spot on Spider. I always get a chuckle out of all the whiners on TV; compared to Cambodia, LOS is paradise.

Don't get me wrong; I love to live here in SR, but if Thailand is pretty bad in many ways, Cambodia is lots worse.

[Dee Kwa]

Hun Sen is one of the most heinous men to walk the planet in the last few decades. The amount of land his henchmen have stolen boggles the mind.

But not too far away, a man can steal a whole country and be looked upon as a demi-god.

Yes, the world is a crazy place.

[Long tang]

If snookyville is one of the most dangerous places in Cambodia could someone please recommend a nicer, safer alternative place to visit for a few weeks holiday? Was planning my trip and came across this thread.

I guess there are differing opinions on how dangerous this place really is but perhaps there will be more agreements on an alternative location to spend time in Cambodia??

Cheers,

[phuketrichard]

take the boat to koh Rong

not sure about a few weeks there thou

Koh Chang in Thailand might be a better alternative

[TheSiemReaper]

If all you want is beaches and some semblance of normal life; Snooky's the only real option. The islands in Cambodia are lovely but facilities are far too limited for more than a few days' stay. Kampot and Kep are nice but no beaches and again a little too sleepy, perhaps, for more than a months' stay (and perhaps much less). Siem Reap is lovely but very different. Phnom Penh's not actually a bad option for a week or two either. I'd multi-center holiday if I was visiting for a few weeks and spread myself out a bit, unless I found somewhere I didn't want to leave.

It's probably fair to say that everywhere here is safer than Snooky but that Snooky's really not that bad; it's just not my idea of a long-term stay location either.

[bikkalad]

Went to Snooky 3 times last year.... and also PP/ SR Kampot and Koh Kong never felt threatened in any way..... won't be heading back to Thailand in a hurry....... Cambodias great

[mike2011]

Just back from SHV and no problems what-so-ever at any time day or night. The people who end up in trouble are usually backpackers who drink way too much and do drugs. Those guys tend to be aggressive and bully people - not difficult if you're 6 feet tall or more given that most local guys are rather short. What these idiots do not understand that once they have publicly embarassed a local guy in front of his friends or the ladies, he is likely to return to the matter once they walk home in the dark.

This problem is contained in a very small area at Serendipity Beach and limited to a very small group of people. Plus the drinking takes places well past midnite. You might not even notice them. No problems with violence otherwise. All people were most friendly and polite. Much friendlier than in any Thai tourist spot.

Edited July 29, 2014 by mike2011