Cambodia - History and Culture

History and Politics

Prisoner Room
Genocide Museum

Cambodia is a country with a checkered and tragic past unparalleled to any country. A thousand years back it had the rule of the Khmer kings, the largest Empire during its time. And in the 1970s, it was the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, one of the most cruel despots that the world has ever seen. Today the story of the Khmer Rouge crimes is well known. Two million Cambodians, one-quarter of the nation's population, were killed during Pol Pot's three and one-half years in power. Eighty percent of Cambodia's teachers were killed and 95 percent of the doctors, along with almost everyone else who had an education. Cambodia, as Pol Pot liked to say, was returned to year zero.

Cambodia since the fall of Pol Pot has been dominated by the rivalry of three factions. 1st was Hun Sen who had taken refuge in Vietnam and was installed by the invading Vietnam as Prime Minister. Next was Sam Rainsy, who was supported by the west but who had limited support on the ground. The last one was Norodom  Ranariddh, who was the son of King  Sihanouk  and tried to use his position to create influence among the people.

However Rainsy and Ranariddh lacked the personal dedication, perseverance, and understanding of postwar Cambodia to compete effectively against Hun Sen. Hun Sen as head of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) controlled all the officials on the ground and ensured that he won all elections to date. Cambodia in essence is a single party state under total control by Hun Sen who is now the President with his son being the prime Minister. Among the opposition, Rainsy is in exile and Ranariddh died in 2021.

From conversations I had with people, most Cambodians don't like the Vietnamese and Chinese and 90% of people are against the CPP.

The country is riddled with corruption and with Chinese money coming in for the last few decades, there is a constant pressure between development and maintaining the pristine environment of Cambodia for future generations. 

Economy and Infrastructure

Cambodia is around 180000 sq kms which is almost the size of Karnataka state in India but has only 25% of its population at 17 million. The person capita GDP is around 1875 dollars which is half of Karnataka. It's therefore a lower middle income country like Vietnam and India. 

Phnom Penh City

Cambodia’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 7.6 percent between 1995 and 2019, driven largely by tourism, manufacturing exports, real estate, and construction, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Post Pandemic, growth has slowed down and it is expected to be around 5.8% in 2024.  In the ASEAN region, Cambodia is tracking as having the 3rd strongest GDP growth in 2024 (behind Vietnam and India). It is the only economy in the region expected to grow stronger in 2025.

The highway infrastructure is good and well maintained. The broad highways of Thailand gave way to mainly 2 lane roads. Some upcountry roads were dusty at places due to no proper kerbing. The countryside was filled with rice fields unlike the corn fields I saw on the Thai side. 

Infrastructure in cities like Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is good and well maintained with pavements, proper drains and sidewalks unlike Indian urban cities which have a lot to be desired.

Bank QR Codes

One unique characteristic is that all prices are both in USD and the Cambodian Riel. The primary transactional currency is the US dollar with the Riel being used only in small amounts with a value of 2000 Riel to the dollar. Dollarization emerged spontaneously because public confidence in the Riel eroded due to the Khmer Rouge's destruction of all infrastructure and subsequent mismanagement of the economy. The hyperinflation of the 90s worsened the situation and currently only 5% of deposits and loans are in Riel.  The price of goods is more expensive than Vietnam and Laos considering its economy and I would put it as equivalent to India and slightly lower than Thailand.

Digital infrastructure is also good with mobile and internet coverage and QR code payments are used everywhere unlike Vietnam which is a cash economy. Even small vendors had a clutch of bank QR codes which reminded me of India although there is no unified payment interface like UPI here. 

The Central Bank has now launched a blockchain based system called Bakong. While consumers can still choose to pay using a banking app, if they scan a KHQR code, the payment backend now goes via the Bakong blockchain payment system and participant banks all support the new format. However from what I saw, a clutch of QR codes still continues.

Culture

Cambodia today is heavily influenced by their Hindu past. One of our guides shared this interesting story when we chanced upon a wedding during the tour. It was the legend of the Indian king. I researched the story further. 

 The Khmer wedding ceremony has been inspired by the beautiful legend of the marriage of the first Khmer prince Preah Thong and the Naga princess Neang Neak. Preah Thong was an Indian prince, who set sails to the east to find his own land. One day, his ship approached an island. The prince  decided to moor the ship and got off to explore that island. In a full moon night, Preah Thong accidentally caught a strange sight, when the ocean's surface suddenly rippled and there was a group of people emerging from the underwater. They were princess Neang Neak – the daughter of the Naga King, and her maids and servants.

The prince and princess fell in love with each other at the first sight and they went to Neang Neak's underwater kingdom to ask permission from her father. After the Naga King approved, a big wedding celebration was held for three days and three nights. The king then used his magic power to swallow the water to form the land that is now known as Cambodia and presented it to the newlywed couple. From then, Preah Thong and Neang Neak started to build their own kingdom and lived together happily ever after.

Many Khmer wedding customs and ceremonies are believed to be influenced by the marriage of these two legendary figures.

While India has a historical cultural connection, today it is China which is  gaining influence over Cambodia through the BRI trade. There are currently over 100 Chinese educational institutions in the country and more than 100,000 Cambodian learners. Around 280 Chinese teachers and 1,900 volunteers are being sent to Cambodia annually. China's vocational education and training (VET) model is also being used to align education with economic needs and support Cambodia's goal of becoming a regional manufacturing and service hub.

 Meanwhile France is also trying to influence its erstwhile French colonies through a common agenda. In the recent 2024 Francophonie Summit in Paris, Cambodia was officially selected to host the next Summit, which will bring together 84 member countries and 26 observer states in 2026.

The only news I saw about India is how dubious firms involved in fake recruitment job offers are trafficking Indian nationals to Cambodia and other nearby countries and making them to carry out cyber crime and other illegal activities from scam centers operating in these countries. About 1000 plus Indian nationals have been rescued and released by Cambodian authorities over last 3 years as per the Indian Embassy in Cambodia.