5 Unique Villages in Cambodia for Travelers Coming Here

Cambodia, aside from Angkor Wat, is also famous for having the unique, glamorous nature that remains its pure wilderness now. Cambodia is highly recommended for those who love exploring the local culture and customs in the travel community.

Are you a culture lover and want to find some villages to experience the local culture of Cambodians? After our travel to Vietnam Cambodia and Thailand, let us introduce you to the top 5 unique villages for travelers in Cambodia!

Unique-Built Villages in Cambodia You Must Come

Kampong Chhnang

Welcome to Kampong Chhnang, the city of pots. Across Cambodia, this is the biggest “factory” for hand-making clay pots for trade domestically and export to foreign areas.

When visiting Kampong Chhnang the first time, we were so amazed by the number of artisans here. Typically, the “craft village” culture is gradually faded, and the number of artisans also drops. But, fortunately, at Kampong Chhnang, people are still keen on keeping their long-lasted craft arts.

The artists at Kampong produce clay pots hand-made 100%. They use wooden frames to cast water vessels for watering the clay and peddle the wheel to shape the pots. You can register for a one-day pot-making course at some artisan houses in the village.

What makes Kampong Chhnang advantageous from trading is its location – near Tonle Sap river. Every day, the people of Kampong Chhnang will travel along the Tonle Sap to sell their pots, but most of the time, people from other provinces come here for trading.

Kampong Cham

From Kampong Chhnang, drive for about 3 hours and 15 minutes to the northwest, you will meet Kampong Cham. This city is widely known as “a window to Phnom Penh” for its French-influenced architecture and culture.

If you love architecture and medieval culture, then Kampong Cham is your must-visit place. Walking along the Mekong river at the city center, sightseeing the dawn, or sitting in a French-styled coffee shop to enjoy a cup of coffee are some signature Kampong Cham experiences.

In Kampong Cham, the flow is always slow, chilling, and peaceful. It is easy to spot bicycles on the street as people don’t rush here! You can also rent a small bike, cycle across this small town, and end the night with a lok lak meal at French Tower.

Kampot

From the capital city of Phnom Penh, take a short ride to the southwest side, and you will meet Kampot village when the land meets the coast. This riverside town is famous for its local fruit: pepper.

Based on the history of Cambodia, when French people conquered the Indochina area, including Cambodia, they brought pepper from Cambodia to Europe every year, and most of the products exported then came from Kampot.

Besides the world-known pepper, Kampot is also definitely a travel spot for history lovers. For example, the old Governor’s House, now the Kampot Provincial Museum, remains mostly similar architecture as it was during the colonial period. Therefore, you can visit this site to learn about the bypast days of Kampot or listen to Cambodia’s revenge days from the local tour guides.

To add in, the Preaek Tuek Chhu river offers you an amazing resting time after a day of walking and traveling. Located in the city center, this river is famous for having a special river loop, “Green Cathedral”. You can swim, kayak, take photos at this beautiful and peaceful river.

Tonle Sap

You may wonder, “Tonle Sap is the name of a river, how can we mention it in the village category,” right? Well, the Tonle Sap we will discuss here is the floating village Tonle Sap.

From first sight, Tonle Sap catches the impression of its special water composition. There is no confirmed address of this village, so if you want to visit it, rowing along the Tonle Sap river from Kampong Cham or Kampong Chhnang until seeing the floating houses.

Another unique point about this village is its ecosystem. Every year, the saltwater tributaries reverse their directions, making the ecosystem and water flow change, too. If you register for the mix Vietnam and Cambodia itinerary from travel agencies, you will visit Tonle Sap floating village.

Banteay Chhmar

When discussing ancient constructions in Cambodia, people always think of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. However, do you know there is another ancient complex? Let us introduce Banteay Chhmar.

The name Banteay Chhmar, or called “Citadel of the Cat”, was built in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII. After completing Angkor Wat, the emperor starts expanding his empire by building many cities and constructions to show off the power. And Banteay Chhmar can be seen as his “empire symbol” on the Northern corner of the country.

Compared to Angkor Wat, this ancient construction shares many similarities in terms of architecture. To be specific, its composition is a combination of Buddhist and Hindu. There are many mixed Buddhism – Hinduism symbols on patterns, too.

At the center of the building, there is a set of carvings depicting the god with 32 spiraling arms. The satellite towers contain multi-faced statues. Like Angkor Wat, this amazing construction was destroyed in the war, so there aren’t many artifacts and carvings now. However, its ancient and mysterious atmosphere still catches people’s curiosity, making it a hot spot in Indochina tour packages.

Final Thoughts

We have mentioned the top 5 unique villagers in Cambodia. Each spot has its beauty awaiting you to explore. We hope that, through our articles, you can finally choose some more beautiful travel destinations in your must-visit list.

Through our experience in the past, the Banteay Chhmar brings us the most beautiful memories. How about you? Which place seems to be a great spot for your next trip?

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