Sihanoukville (Krong Preah Sihanouk), also known as Kampong Som, is a province in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. This port city is a growing Cambodian urban center, located 185 kilometres (115 mi) southwest of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. The province is named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk and grew up around the construction of Sihanoukville Port. Construction on the port began in June 1955 and it was the only deep water port in Cambodia.. The port was built in part due to the waning power of the French leading to the Vietnamese tightening their control over the Mekong Delta and hence restricting river access to Cambodia. Sihanoukville's beaches have made it a popular tourist destination.
The province is served by Sihanoukville International Airport, 18 kilometres (11 mi) from downtown, although it has a limited commercial operation. The planned flights between Sihanoukville and Siem Reap may encourage visitors to Angkor temples in Siem Reap to extend their stay, though the crash of a charter flight in Phnom Damrey on 25 June 2007 from Siem Riep, has caused concerns.
Sihanoukville attracts tourists with its laidback beach atmosphere when compared to Thailand's more developed ones. However, the city has attracted not only tourists, but several NGOs and foreign and national investors in the last years in order to develop not only the growing tourist industry, but its capacity as an international sea port and other sectors like textile and real estate. In Sihanoukville is also located the main factory of Angkor, the Cambodian national beer.
Sihanoukville was the place of the last official battle of the United States army in the Vietnam War, although the incident took place outside Vietnam. It is known as the Mayagüez incident on May 12-15, 1975 between the US forces and the Khmer Rouge. Currently, visitors dive in Koh Tang, one of the Sihanoukville islands where the major battle to free the SS Mayagüez took place. Divers can see two shipwrecks 40 metres (130 ft) down.
On 22 December 2008, King Norodom Sihamoni signed a Royal Decree that changed the municipalities of Kep, Pailin and Sihanoukville into provinces, as well as adjusting several provincial borders

Transportation

            Transportation in Sihanoukville comprises cabs, motorbikes and scooters, and the quaint and charming tuk-tuks. If you are required to walk in order to shed extra flab or cholesterol, so much the better. For the picturesque streets, lanes and paths of Sihanoukville are ideal for walking. Most of the tourists visit the numerous beaches of the city in the course of a casual stroll. But if your hotel is situated at a considerable distance from the sandy shores, you might find it a bit tiring to saunter towards them. In cases like this, you can thumb a tuk-tuk that will stop for you. Then you can enjoy a most windy ride to the precincts of the beaches, which you will reach in the tuk-tuk in a short span of time. The numerous motorbikes and scooters of the Cambodian city are excellent modes of transportation in Sihanoukville. The bikes charge a uniform rate of a dollar for covering a one-way journey to any part of Sihanoukville. However, if the bike drivers perceive that the destination you want to visit is quite far away from the place of boarding the bike, they will ask for more. It may not be a comfortable journey for pillion riders, as the bike drivers tend to have two adult passengers on a single bike. Moreover, they also encourage tourists and locals to board their bikes with heavy bags and baggage because they get the opportunity for demanding more fare in such cases.
              If you wish to roam the grounds of Sihanoukville in perfect style during the course of your Sihanoukville travels and tours, get into any of the taxis that operate in the city. You have to make arrangements for cab transportation in Sihanoukville by dialing the numbers of various cab stations and agencies. The staff of the agencies will organize a cab for you that will reach your hotel or residence in a jiffy. The cab will then take you and your family and friends on a sightseeing jaunt or a joyride around Sihanoukville. Cabs are quite expensive as compared to the other types of transportation in Sihanoukville as they offer their passengers much comfort and privacy during the rides.

Starting in 1960 :   The Sihanoukville Port has grown to be the largest port in Cambodia, and the only deep water port. Servicing container ships, Naval ships, and cruise ships from around the world.  Now, at 125 hectares, the port is continually undergoing expansion and improvement (almost finished now).  The Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS) is becoming a main entry point for tourists to Sihanoukville, coming on cruise ships from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. Many foreign warships also stop here for some R&R.
 

How to get here and there

                  All the resorts in SihanoukVille provide their guests with a host of transportation opportunities.  Whether you want to take a trip to the islands, or just go downtown to do some touring and shopping.  The non-island resorts here have their own vans or busses that go between the beaches and downtown.
                 Outside of the resort, there are many of ways of getting around.  The main form of transportation around town is in Tuk Tuks.  These are carts with a roof and cushioned seating holding up to 4 people and pulled by a motorcycle.  Trips around town are usually one or two dollars per person.  You'll also see tourists on bicycles and electric bicycles, motorcycles, in Jeeps and cars, and walking everywhere. Tuk Tuks and cars can be hired by the day or by the trip.  If you're headed out of town on visit, you'll probably want to rent a car, limo or van.
                  No airline flights yet, but by the end of 2009 (or 2010), we should have flights to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and possibly Bangkok.