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History: Cambodia’s international sea trade was carried out through Mekong. This was till 1954. Mekong came under the control of Vietnam with the end of Indochina resulting in the decision to construct a new port for successful sea trade in Cambodia. Kampong Som was chosen for its depth of water and accessibility. The town was later named Sihanoukville. What followed here next is referred to as the History of Sihanoukville.
According to the History of Sihanoukville the construction of the port was brought about by a French Cambodian construction team from1955 to 1960 with funds from France. Another
major construction leading to the development of the town was the road to Phnom Penh, Route 4, which was funded
by the USA. The town first emerged as a settlement for the workers. In the honor of the king the new port town was
named Sihanoukville. The historical development of Sihanoukville states that the town reached its zenith in the 1960s
due to the success of the port. Due to the booming Sihanoukville Tourism the town witnessed the construction of the
Independence Hotel on the Independence Beach in Sihanoukville, the Angkor Brewery, villas on the Ochheuteal
Beach in Sihanoukville, and the St Michael's Catholic Church. The History of Sihanoukville, Cambodia says that the
port went through construction work again from 1965 to 1970. It was stopped due to the Lon Nol coup d'etat. One of
the major phases of the History of Sihanoukville was its role in the American Vietnam conflict. It helped the anti-
American forces in Vietnam in acquiring weapons. In 1975 the S.S. Mayaguez, a U.S. container ship was captures by
the Khmer Rouge. The USA attacked an island close to Sihanoukville. The ship was released after fierce bombing. Another major turn in the History of Sihanoukville was hosting the Australian, Belgian and French military units of
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) in 1992 and 1993 UN sponsored elections. Later the
town saw an influx of foreign tourists which was disrupted by the murders of the 3 backpackers and 3 expatriates. The
location has attained stability post 1997-1998 with the end of the Khmer Rouge making. Today it is a popular tourist
destination emerging out of its past of war and murder. The numerous restaurants, bars and hotels with a large number of tourists have changed the face of the city. Sihanoukville is situated on the coast of Cambodia between
Thailand and Vietnam on the Gulf of Thailand. The town offers a laidback resort atmosphere with long white sandy
beaches, ideal for water sports, diving or just lounging in the sunshine. The best time to visit Sihanoukville is between
November and the end of February, when humidity is low and the sunshine consistent. Sihanoukville province is a very small province with 868 square kilometres surface. It’s located in the very South of the country and is bordering
to the North with Koh Kong, to the East with Kampot and to the West and South with the beautiful Gulf of Thailand.
Most parts of the province belong to the peninsula showing a hilly face with some scattered forested areas. Most parts
of the province consist of the typical plain wet area for Cambodia, covering rice fields and other agricultural plantations.
The northeast of the province end on the hill foods of the Bokor National Park, a relatively big mountain range, which
in the end symbolize the southern end of the mighty Cardamom Mountains. The average altitude of the province is
supposedly not higher than 40m above see level. Sihanoukville is about 230km from Phnom Penh. My colleagues
strongly advice me to go by bus. Yet I have been looking forward to do this trip by motor bike and decide not to take
the bus. It may sound trivial, but during almost one year outside Cambodia, the idea of riding motorbikes in Cambodia
became almost the essence of freedom to me. In practice I find it often tiring or boring, sometimes even painful, but in
principle I still greatly enjoy riding the bike and opt for it whenever I can. I am also in the privileged situation of having
Toby’s bike, so it is not a difficult choice. However, riding the bike gives me also a sense of vulnerability. There are
basically two options to ride to Sihanoukville: on national road 4, which is supposed to be the best road in the country,
and on national road 3 through Kampot. I choose the first option, as it is the most time efficient, and because I have
been riding on national road 3 to Kampot before, but not on national road 4 beyond Kirirom National Park
Sihanoukville has a different look and feel than most Cambodian towns. Constructed as a port city in the late 1950s,
the town is much newer, more urban and cosmopolitan than most Cambodian provincial cities. Nowadays, Sihanoukville is as much a beach town as it is a port town, catering to beach-going weekenders from Phnom Penh as
well as a steadily increasing number of foreign visitors. Still, the pace of life in Sihanoukville is very relaxed. Cows
occasionally wander the main road, outside town foreign faces draw smiles and curious stares, and most of the beaches
offer only beach umbrellas, thatched roofed eateries, and a growing number of restaurants, bungalows and hotels.
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