Phnom Penh Architecture by Cyclo

Phnom Penh Architectural Cyclo Tour

Slow down! Spend a few sedate hours in a Phnom Penh cyclo to unearth architectural treasures in the capital of Cambodia. This is an opportunity to be peddled through time on not just an architectural tour but also a historic tour of Phnom Penh and one that is tinged with nostalgia.

A brief introduction to Phnom Penh, the cyclo takes you on a city safari exploring colonial relics of French Indochina and post colonial New Cambodian Architecture. The slow and relaxed pace provides an illuminating insight into the city’s history and spotlights features that one would otherwise almost certainly miss. Stand in one place and there are Chinese shop-houses from the late 1800s, a faded hotel from the 1920s and a statement of post colonial liberty and individuality from the 1950’s.

Journey along the wide, leafy boulevards and through the old French quarter whilst being shown historic landmarks that are even ignored in Travel Guides. Experience the architectural fusion of Phnom Penh whilst travelling through architectural periods. Some of the buildings and structures are viewed from the cyclo, others from the pavement whilst you stop and enter a few as well.

The Phnom Penh Cyclo tour starts in the cool of the morning at 8.30am and lasts for approximately 3 hours with an English speaking guide.

Phnom Penh Architecture

Phnom Penh Architecture? It’s not a destination that perhaps immediately jumps to mind when you think architecture. Nor does Phnom Penh conjure images of architectural splendour; it lacks the temples of Beijing or Bangkok and the relics of French Indochina that are scattered throughout Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (Saigon).

But where Phnom Penh, this compact riverside capital on the banks of the Mekong River, wins hands down it in its Buddhist and Chinese temples and the faded administrative buildings and villas of French Indochina which have survived in a largely unaltered state over the years.

Post 1970, Phnom Penh was ravaged, almost cryo-banked in time while other Asia cities enjoyed their economic boom, penetrating the skies with soaring skylines, more often than not at the expense of their heritage. Phnom Penh was at least spared the city cloning treatment and thus has retained her eclectic architecture

The vigour to build has today returned at a frenzied pace and many of Phnom Penh’s architectural treasures from both the French Indochina era and the post colonial era have already been reduced to rubble to make way from someone’s Hollywood-inspired vision. At the same time nostalgic buildings from French Indochina are being lovingly restored to become hip boutique hotels, restaurants oozing ambience and little boutique specialist shops.

Architecture is undoubtedly in the soul of Cambodia. Their national flag depicts a silhouette of Angkor, the ancient city near Siem Reap and capital of the Khmer Empire for 500 years which is today a World Heritage Site and one of the most important architectural monuments in the world. The visual character and personality of Phnom Penh is changing at break-neck speed but slow down and take stock of your surroundings and you’ll discover an architectural journey through time.

French Indochina Colonial Architecture

Think French Indochina and Phnom Penh and one building immediately jumps to mind; Raffles Hotel Le Royal. Opened in 1929 and beautifully restored by the Raffles Hotel Group, the Raffles Hotel Le Royal epitomises the colonial elegance of French Indochina and is the Grande Dame of French colonial buildings in Asia.

But scattered around the capital of Cambodia are many other examples, some distinctly faded, some doomed while others have been restored to their former glory and are now smart Phnom Penh boutique hotels, restaurants and boutiques. See the old Citroen showroom, no longer a car showroom but still demarked as such, the Royal Hotel which is no-longer a hotel, the colonial police station the post office and countless stately villas dating back to the French Indochina era.

New Khmer Architecture

While the French Indochina Architecture provides nostalgia, what is equally remarkable is the period from 1953, the year that Cambodia declared independence from France, until 1970. A positive period of Cambodia’s modern history during which "New Khmer Architecture", a modern architectural expression, was borne along with a goal to match if not eclipse the architectural identity of French Indochina.

During the two decades of post independence, around 1,300 new buildings and structures were erected in Phnom Penh which now form a collection of buildings that are considered to rank among the most important of the developing world. At the forefront was the architect Vann Molyvann who is today not only Cambodia's most revered architect but a national icon who changed the landscape of Cambodia.

Among many other buildings and monuments, Molyvann is responsible for the extremely prominent Independence Monument at the crossroads of Norodom and Sihanouk boulevards in Phnom Penh and the National Sports Complex or “Olympic Stadium”; one of Vann's most famous works.

Explore the Architecture of Phnom Penh by Cyclo