Cambodia is a rare country with ancient architecture lining up as world wonders. Every year this country of pagodas and towers welcomes nearly 5 million visitors. So why do so many tourists from all over the world participate in Cambodia vacation packages? Let’s find out together with us now.

Why You Must Visit Cambodia

Culture

Besides nature, cultural and religious factors also make tourists often choose Cambodia vacation packages. Buddhism is the country’s official religion, with over 97% of the population being Buddhist. This long-standing religious tradition is demonstrated through countless world-famous temples, the most famous being Angkor Wat and the Angkor temple complex in Siem Reap.

Natural Beauty

This country is famous for possessing a unique ecosystem, gathering many rare animals, most notably elephants and tigers. Cambodia owns a beautiful coastline, up to 433km long, so it is very suitable for those who love “yellow sunshine, white sand, and blue sea”.

Koh Rong Samloem Island

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The Koh Rong Samloem Island (Source: Pxhere)

Once you’ve explored the ancient temples, you’ll probably enjoy immersing yourself in the wild nature and the fancy glowing plankton on this beautiful island. In the morning, the island is like a green pearl, floating in the middle of the vast ocean and receiving warm sunlight. The sunset is also ideal for visitors to experience the feeling of “swimming among the stars” with scuba diving to see the unique – unique – unique glowing plankton.

Tonle Sap Lake

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Tonle Sap Lake – Source: Wikimedia

It is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia – does UNESCO recognize the world’s leading biosphere reserve? The main feature of the lake is that the flow can change direction according to the seasons. Here you can book a sunset cruise and enjoy a delicious plate of tapas as you cruise across the Mekong River. Besides, visitors can look around and marvel at the city’s skyline.

Celebrations

From time immemorial, festivals in Cambodia have been closely associated with Theravada Buddhist rituals. These holidays have a very strong vitality; even the Khmer Rouge regime cannot erase the cultural habits of the people here.
Even as the presence of Western culture deepens, people in Cambodia still maintain these meaningful traditional festivals. So if you get the opportunity to visit Cambodia, don’t miss the traditional cultural holidays below.

National Holidays

This holiday marks Cambodia’s liberation from French colonial rule in 1953. The celebration takes place around the Independence Monument in the center of Phnom Penh, where the King will light the torch of victory with the presence of politicians, generals, and diplomats. The ceremony includes many cultural activities, Norodom Avenue parades, and evening fireworks.

The Meak Bochea Festival

The Meak Bochea is a festival held to celebrate the spontaneous visit of 1,250 monks to pay homage to the Buddha. The Buddha chose to stay at Valuwan Vihara in Rajagaha, home to 1,250 enlightened monks. A special feature is that the disciples of the Buddha gathered here without prior appointment. As such, Meak Bochea is celebrated to honor the Buddha and remind the Buddha’s teachings to Buddhists. The Meak Bochea usually takes place on the full moon day of the third lunar month. On this day, Buddhists participate in candle processions inside the temples where they live.

Traditional Khmer New Year

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Traditional Khmer New Year – Source: Wikimedia

Chaul Chnam Thmey, or Lunar New Year, is one of the busiest festivals in Cambodia. On the first days, Cambodians will clean their houses, prepare food to make merit for the monks, and go to worship at local temples. Young people will participate in traditional games with people of the opposite sex. On the last day, like the New Year celebrations in Thailand and Laos, children and the elderly join the water festival to mark the occasion.

Foods & Drinks

Not known for busy shopping areas like Thailand, Singapore, and Taiwan, Cambodia is a culinary paradise for tourists and an interesting destination for tourists who want to experience Cambodia vacation packages. Khmer dishes are famous for their rich flavors and different ingredients and are equally fancy and unique. Here are the dishes that visitors cannot miss when coming here.

Steamed Fish Amok

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Steamed Fish Amok (Source: Approach Guides)

This food is a distinctive Cambodian traditional meal that is precisely prepared and perfected. Aside from the nutritious ingredients, the primary component used to prepare this meal includes snakehead fish from Cambodian lakes or catfish, although fresh fruit remains the most delectable. There are also traditional and unusual flavors like eggs, jaggery, coconut milk, fish sauce called Prohock, and some seasonal leaves. Also, fresh fish ingredients are marinated in coconut milk with kroeung, one Kmer curry cream sauce with turmeric root, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and shallots.
What’s more intriguing is that you’ll be eating steamed fish in a unique “bowl” made of banana leaves.

Beef With Red Ants Stir-Fried

Many tourists are “terrified” when they hear the name of this dish. However, the delicacies made of insects are actually “a common thing in the district” for local people. To make a meal of red tree ants stir-fried with beef, the cook must find ants of “huge” size, from 2cm to 3cm, and then stir-fry them with thinly sliced beef, basil, shallots, and many other flavorings. The sour taste from ants blends with the aroma of vegetables, and the salty taste of beef is extremely strange.

Khmer Lap

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Khmer Beef Salad (Source: Flickr)

Khmer Lap, or beef salad, has a sour and spicy taste that is easy to eat; sipping with a little wine is nothing compared.
This dish is made by marinating rare sliced beef with lemon juice, then mixing well with dried onion, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, and spices. The recipe is simple, but the results are easy to “addict”!

Palm Juice

The most popular drink in Cambodian cuisine is jaggery – the easiest and freshest to find. Palm juice has no preservatives and is very natural, so it can only be drunk during the day; even if caught in a drop of water, it will spoil quickly.

Angkor Beer

Some people say that if you come to Cambodia without enjoying Angkor beer, it is like going to France without seeing the Eiffel Tower because this is the national beer of Cambodia. The brand name of this beer is named after the most famous heritage in Cambodia, the name that every time people talk about it, they will immediately think of the land of pagodas and temples – the architectural complex of Angkor. Beer is contained in glass bottles and cans. Each product has the famous Angkor Wat temple printed on it. This beverage is the most consumed beer in Cambodia and is sold everywhere in this country.

Final Thoughts

Cambodia is currently one of the Southeast Asian countries that thrive in tourism. It attracts tourists through famous monuments such as Angkor and Silver Pagoda or new destinations through attractive Cambodia tours such as the Bokor plateau and sea. Sihanoukville, Koh Rong Samloem Island. As a result, you will surely have a wonderful and enjoyable trip with Cambodia vacation packages.

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“Spare your time, Florish your travel”, Vietnam Fast Tours provide fully private personalized holiday packages at highgest quality services. As a local tour operator based in Vietnam, the company offers wide range of travel styles from family hoildays, adventure tours, beach vacation, honeymoon tours to luxury spa & wellness holiday to Southeast Asia. With Vietnam Fast Tours, the clients will experience Southeast Asia in their own way.

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