Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville (Kampong Som) is a coastal city and capital with the same name. It is located on a peninsula in the country’s south west on the Gulf of Thailand. The city is surrounded by coastal beaches and marsh lands bordering Ream National Park. The city has one navigable river, the Ou Trojak Jet running from Otres Pagoda to Otres. A number of islands are nearby which have seen recent development. In the last few years, the area has seen unprecedented levels of Chinese investment with around 100 casinos opening up in the city. The city’s ethnic makeup has changed significantly with thousands of mainland Chinese workers, developers and investors settling. In 2019 nearly 80,000 Chinese live in Sihanoukville (making up 90% of the city’s expat population). Sihanoukville is one of the major cities on China’s One Belt One Road Initiative.