Flying into the new airport of Phnom Penh (and getting the reasonably efficient airport bus), part-time pedestrian walk adds some much-needed public space, interesting skyscrapers (ie not boring blue boxes), and fake Paris update. I visited Phnom Penh in December 2025, which was a year since my last visit. My previous trip involved getting the […]
phnom penh
Techo International Airport (KTI): The New Phnom Penh Airport
Techo International Airport is the new airport serving Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Techo International Airport opened on the 9th of September 2025, replacing Phnom Penh International Airport (formerly Pochentong International Airport). The airport was officially inaugurated on the 20th of October 2025. Techo International Airport is 24 km south of the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh […]
Phnom Penh Metro: proposed urban rail transit system and airport railway
The Phnom Penh metro is a proposed urban rail transit system in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The term metro is used loosely here, as there have been various forms of rail systems proposed over the years. Proposals have included sky trains, subways (another word for metro), light rail, and monorails. Plans for an urban railway in […]
Phnom Penh construction report (2024 edition)
Heritage buildings update, the temple-shaped National Bank building, the fake Paris on Diamond Island, bad urban planning on the Tonle Sap riverfront, a new urban area rises on a disappeared lake, the bird nest towers, and booming BKK1. Phnom Penh construction and infrastructure report (December 2024).
Funan Techo Canal: a waterway and canal system connecting Phnom Penh to Kampot
The Funan Techo Canal is an under-construction waterway that will connect Phnom Penh to Kampot via the Bassac River. The canal will enable goods to be shipped to and from the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port without having to go through Vietnam. The project was formerly known as the Bassac River Navigation and Logistics System (“BRNLS”), […]
Cambodia should rebuild the railway instead of building a canal
The Funan Techo Canal plans to connect Phnom Penh to a seaport in Kampot, but a railway would be quicker and a better allocation of resources. [Railway at Kampot, Cambodia.] Cambodia is studying a proposal to build a waterway and canal system to connect Phnom Penh to Kampot Province via the Bassac River. The 180 […]
Norea City – A new urban island in Phnom Penh
Norea City is a new urban area built on an island and reclaimed land in Phnom Penh. The island (Koh Norea) is on the Mekong River next to the mouth of the Bassac River. The project is also known as Koh Norea Satellite City, and it is being developed by Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation (OCIC). […]
Phnom Penh trip report (2023 edition)
Construction reports for Koh Pich (the fake Paris island), BKK1 (the booming expat area), and Phnom Penh City Center (the city rising out of a drained lake). My first trip report for 2023 begins in Phnom Penh. This was a shorter trip than usual, as it was a visa run from Vietnam that was timed […]
Phnom Penh – Siem Reap Railway
The Phnom Penh – Siem Reap Railway is a proposed new railway connecting the capital of Cambodia to the tourism hotspot of Siem Reap (the city near Angkor). The railway is one of a number of railways that have been proposed in Cambodia, including another railway that would connect Siem Reap to Poipet (and thus […]
Phnom Penh construction update – 2022 edition
Phnom Penh continues its construction boom, which has mostly been continuing despite the interruption of the pandemic. According to the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC), Cambodia’s construction sector attracted a total investment of US$5.33 billion in 2021. Publicised by the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC), the report […]
