Cambodia -How safe?

MazStar

Going travelling in SE Asia in a few months. We are two 22yo girls and just wondering how safe/ unsafe Cambodia will be for us?
Also anyone who has been what should we see? Obviously we want to see Angkor Wat but is there much else? We will be travelling from Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam through Cambodia and back to Bangkok. What are the roads like and what would be the best method of transport?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks

pan

Did this about 2yrs ago!
Angor wat is amazing but give yourself 3 days or more while your there to see it all. Myself and GF went and we hired two motorbike guys to take us around for the day, well worth it. If you can, give blood in the bropha childern hospital (run by a swiss doc) he also does a concert every sat, so try and catch it while your there.
People are poor but very friendly even after all they have been through, you will still see them smiling lots. Around angor wat you suppose to keep to the trails because of the landmine, but alot have been clear now!

In Phom phem(?) just take the usual city precautions and you will be fine!

Best of Luck
pan

pan

oh yea transport,

From Ho Chin Minh city we took a boat via the mekong delta river to phom phen (crossing the boarder). Defintitely recommend it.

Also from Phom phen to siem rip (angor wat) we took the ferry up and the bus back. Ferry is fast and good, the road back is bad and dusty, you will need a something to cover you mouth and face cos the dust get in the bus a few times along the way.

Also recommend the beach in cambodia, pretty unsoiled and empty!

PunyHuman

Hey,

A friend of mine and I recently took a similar trip in the opposite direction and did not feel unsafe at any point. That said, we were (and are) male, so maybe your gender will make a difference. Just stick together, don't get too drunk, keep your valuables safe, and don't stray off the trail anywhere, and you should be fine.

Of course you must go to Angkor. In my opinion, the temples are so incredible, and so numerous, that you should get the €40 three-day pass, or maybe the $60 one-week pass. Don't miss sunrise over Angkor Wat itself, or sunset from Phnom Bakheng.

We took a three-day Mekong Delta boat tour from Phnom Penh to HCMC which was interesting - rural market towns etc. It's a worthwhile alternative to bussing it.

I liked Phnom Penh a lot. We stayed in the fancier area along Sisowath Quay. Be prepared for the barrage of street kids; in Angkor too. Definitely check out the royal palace and silver pagoda, and the national museum. Also there's Pol Pot's S-21 prison or his Choeng Ek killing fields, fascinating in a morbid way.

Bus trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap was about 5-6 hrs I think. This is a good sealed road. Make sure you take the air conditioned bus becuase it'll probably be stinking hot all the time.

We took an interesting route from Thailand to Siem Reap. We were in Trat in the south-east, crosssed into Cambodia at the Ban Laem / Daung border near Pailin, continued along hilariously bad roads to the pleasant city of Battambang and then took the slow boat from there to Siem Reap across the Tonle Sap lake, which was great. Apparently the border crossing at Aranya Prathet can be a nightmare; our crossing was hassle-free except for a visa overcharge of $7.

All in all Cambodia was my favourite south-east Asian country. I hope you like it too.

Have fun!