Part 1: Phnom Penh on the road to innovation!

(Baonghean) - Recently, joining the Central and local press delegation to survey tourist destinations in Cambodia, we visited the capital Phnom Penh, visited Siem Reap province, to experience with our own eyes the beauty and majesty of the Angkor complex - one of the remaining 7 wonders of the world comparable to the Great Wall, the Egyptian Pyramids...

From Noi Bai airport, on flight VN 921 of Vietnam Airlines, after more than 2 hours of flight, our group of journalists eagerly landed at Phnom Penh International Airport, the main airport of Cambodia, about 7 km west of the center of Phnom Penh Capital. Unlike Hanoi in the cold days, the weather in Phnom Penh is relatively warm. Continuing the journey by car for about 10 minutes, we were in the center of the capital.

Many tourists visit the Silver Pagoda.

Before landing at Phnom Penh airport, we had information that the situation in Cambodia was not good at the moment, protests were taking place continuously, but fortunately, the day we arrived in the capital was quite peaceful, all activities of the people were normal. Many tourist groups from European and Asian countries still flocked to visit. The first impression was that the capital Phnom Penh had sparse traffic, many private cars and not as crowded with motorbikes as Hanoi. Along the main streets, ancient pagodas and colonial villas were looming. According to Mr. Din, a Cambodian tour guide, Phnom Penh is relatively small, it only takes half an hour by car to go through the main streets. There are not many skyscrapers here, nor have new urban areas developed, but Phnom Penh is gradually emerging as a tourist city, the large buildings here are mainly hotels. Currently, the capital is also on the path of modernization with many roads and buildings that have just been built or are still unfinished. It feels like Phnom Penh is similar to other cities in Vietnam with the habit of sidewalk trading, parking cars on the sidewalks quite "freely", and many roads have not been paved so they look shabby...

The first place we visited in the capital Phnom Penh was the Royal Palace. Different from the other neighborhoods

Statue of King Norodom placed in a tower at the Royal Palace of Cambodia.

Located on the right side of the Royal Palace is the Silver Pagoda. The temple's official name is Wat Preah Keo Morokat, meaning "Temple of the Emerald Buddha". The temple's floor is paved with 5,000 silver pieces, each weighing 1kg. The temple was built of wood in 1892, during the reign of King Norodom, following the style of the Emerald Buddha Temple in Thailand and was restored in 1962. The Silver Pagoda preserves priceless Buddhist treasures and various items from the kings' dynasties. In the temple, there are many precious Buddha statues, especially the standing Buddha statue made of gold carved in 1906, weighing 90kg, with 9,584 diamonds, the largest weighing 25 carats. Above is a seated Buddha statue made of emerald, about 30cm high. In addition, there is a statue of Buddha relics sitting in a small tower made of gold and silver. This is a Royal temple, so the Silver Pagoda does not have monks living and practicing.

One place that tourists cannot miss when coming to the capital Phnom Penh is Wat Phnom (Ba Penh Pagoda), a historical pagoda closely associated with the beginning of the capital. The pagoda is located on a hill, surrounded by green lawns and ancient trees. Legend has it that in 1372, a woman named Penh (Yea Penh) - a local resident accidentally picked up a driftwood tree on the river, inside were 4 Buddha statues. Finding it strange, Mrs. Penh immediately built a hill (phnom) and built a small pagoda (wat) on it to worship. Later, the areas around the pagoda were named after the hill (Phnom) and its creator (Penh), hence the name of the capital Phnom Penh today.

At night in Phnom Penh, our group of journalists visited the Naga World Hotel located on the banks of the Mekong River. A few hundred meters from the hotel is the bridge connecting to Diamond Island. Here, last year, a tragic event occurred: Cambodian people crowded to watch the boat racing festival, only to hear the shout of the bridge collapsing and panicked, trampling each other, killing more than 370 people. Naga World stands out with its modern, elegant architecture; luxurious but approachable. With more than 700 rooms, this is an ideal stopover for tourists to the land of pagodas. Since its construction, Naga World has always been one of the most attractive destinations in Phnom Penh with its vibrant atmosphere of life and artificial night sky. This place has the largest casino in Cambodia, gamblers who come to Naga World are mainly Asians every weekend, more still Vietnamese. It is known that the owner of Naga World is a Malaysian of Chinese origin, the owner of famous casinos in the world, such as: Genting in Malaysia and the casino in Singapore. It is not known what the atmosphere in the VIP casino is like, but walking through the "small" casino on the first floor, the women are no less interested in placing bets than the men. Only that winning big here is almost impossible. However, the number of customers coming here has not decreased...

After a day and night experiencing the capital Phnom Penh, our group continued our journey by road to Siem Reap City, home to the ancient capital of Angkor, one of the 7 wonders of the world containing many mysteries.

Article and photos:Tram Anh