Sihanoukville report: abandoned towers and seaside redevelopment

An update on one of the biggest mixed-use developments under construction in Cambodia, prominent abandoned projects, and the redevelopment of Ochheuteal and Otres Beach.

Sihanoukville is the largest coastal city in Cambodia and home to its main port. It has great beaches and a train to Phnom Penh. Despite this beautiful natural setting, the city has become better known for its ghost towers and casino-related crime.

I was in Sihanoukville early in 2022 – weeks after the country had reopened – and I wasn’t planning on returning so soon. In 2024 Royal Railway of Cambodia bought some second-hand train sets from Japan to replace the old train carriages in use. This was enough to bring me back for another visit.

I took the train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville in December 2024, and these new carriages are a dramatic improvement over the old ones. After getting the train, I stayed in Sihanoukville to check in on some of the major projects and see how tourism is faring after the pandemic.

This trip report includes an update on one of the biggest mixed-use developments under construction in Cambodia, prominent abandoned projects, and the redevelopment of Ochheuteal and Otres Beach.

Peninsula Bay

Sihanoukville is still struggling to complete the abandoned towers around the city, so I wasn’t expecting to see any new mega projects. I was shocked to see this new project rising in the city centre.

Peninsula Bay rising in the city centre

It was a confusing sight to see because I couldn’t work out where the available land was that it was being built on. There were no empty blocks of this size when I was last here.

After checking in at my hotel, I went for a walk on Ochheuteal Beach. The full scale of this project can be seen from the beach. This project is Peninsula Bay.

Peninsula Bay viewed from Ochheuteal Beach

The project includes a five-star hotel (JW Marriott), a casino, a shopping mall, office buildings, and serviced apartments.

The peninsula on which this project is being built has almost been completely excavated. A little shack and some trees were all that remained when I visited. This was the only clue as to what the peninsula used to look like.

I have a hard drive in storage of photos that include my first visit to Sihanoukville. I need to check this for old photos of this area.

In contrast to the lifeless construction sites around the city, this construction site was a hive of activity.

A future office tower of Peninsula Bay

Apartments under construction at Peninsula Bay.

Read more about Peninsula Bay.

Other projects

Many of the projects that have been abandoned don’t have a name or website, so it’s hard to track down what has happened to them.

The most prominent project with a name is Prince Tian Xi Wan by Prince Group. This is a hotel and mall complex on Victory Beach, and here is what it’s supposed to look like.

The Prince Tian Xi Wan has stalled. Prince Group have been accused of money laundering, which they have denied.

Prince Tian Xi Wan project

Next to the Prince project is The Bund

The Bund (in Sihanoukville)

The Bund project has also stalled.

The Bund project in Sihanoukville

A residential project that is looking like it will be finished is Star Bay.

Star Bay

There is a marketing office for sales, and units are appearing on booking sites for short-term rentals.

Ochheuteal Beach

Ochheuteal Beach (AKA Serendipity Beach) is the main city beach of Sihanoukville. The beach was famous for its beach bars and its laid-back atmosphere. The shacks were demolished and replaced by new restaurants by a beachfront walkway.

They missed an opportunity to make a wider and more attractive beachfront promenade.

Ochheuteal beach walk

The walkway is much better further up, where there are no buildings on the beach. There is a random Doi Chaang Caffe on the beach walk, which I frequented on my last visit. It remains the best coffee in the Ochheuteal Beach area.

Doi Chaang Caffe

The roads that run parallel to the beach should be the premier shopping and entertainment area of Sihanoukville. These streets are lined with the concrete shells of unfinished buildings, giving it a rundown feel. There are no cafes on these streets, just boring tourist shops and casinos.

23 Tola Road

There are some big blocks of land on the beach road that remain undeveloped. Hopefully, they remain undeveloped until the city gets over its casino fixation.

At least the hotels are not being built on the beach side of the road.

There is a river at the far end of Ochheuteal Beach that flows into the sea. A new water treatment plant has been built there, but black water is still flowing into the sea.

Polluted water

Otres Beach

Otres Beach is the next beach up from Ochheuteal Beach, and it was once a popular backpacker beach with beach bars and cheap guesthouses. The Otres of old is a distant memory as most of what used to be there is gone.

There are still some low-rise hotels on the beachfront, but everything on the beach side of the road is gone.

Some shacks have since popped up along the road, restoring the natural order of Cambodian commerce.

There is a massive new urban area inland of Otres Beach, and it still looks like a construction site.

One area is known as Chinatown, and the buildings on Google Maps are referred to by number. Some of these apartments are scam compounds that are fortified with guards and barbed wire.

There are lots of casino hotels in this area, but there are few tourists around.

Golden Sun Sky Casino and Hotel

The area might become more lively when they build more apartments that people would want to live in.

Apartments under construction in Otres Beach

A new ferry pier has been built at Otres Beach, though it wasn’t operational.

Like Ochheuteal Beach, there is nowhere to hang out on Otres Beach. A bright spot in the redevelopment of Otres is the opening of Brown Coffee in the corner of Otres Beach. Brown Coffee is a popular cafe chain that started in Phnom Penh, and they now have branches in Siem Reap and Kampot.

Brown Coffee, Otres Beach

Sihanoukville will need more cafes and fewer casinos if it wants to rehabilitate its reputation. I will be posting another article soon about how to fix Sihanoukville.