5 reasons why Chroy Changvar is Phnom Penh’s most exciting area right now

In a congested city where public space is in short supply, Phnom Penh residents have often had to look further afield for new areas in the capital to spend their leisure time. Often, that has meant crossing bridges from the mainland to nearby islands – among them Koh Pich (Diamond Island) and Koh Dach (Silk Island), one a satellite island, the other a rural escape home to a number of silk-weaving collectives.

Of these riverside idylls, the peninsula currently making the news is Chroy Changvar, a magnet for huge investment in the city. Situated between the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap River, it was initially connected to the mainland in the mid-1960s, but soon afterwards, its development met with a lengthy period of stagnation. Now, though, the land – once just a marshy swamp that seemed to bear little promise – is one of the most sought-after districts in Phnom Penh. Its rapid resurgence in the last decade has led to construction of all kinds, most notably the sports complex that plays host to the 2023 Southeast Asian Games.

Here’s a rundown of the must-see places and must-do activities around Chroy Changvar, currently one of the hottest and most happening areas in the capital of Cambodia.

It’s hosting Cambodia’s biggest-ever sporting event and is home to the country’s finest sports complex

This month, the SEA Games came to Cambodia for the first time. Hosting the prestigious event has been momentous for the nation, which had never staged an international sporting event of this magnitude. The centerpiece is a 60,000-seat, Chinese-funded Morodok Techo National Stadium, officially inaugurated last December. An ambitious structure loaded with symbolism, it has a 99-meter prow at either end in tribute to the boats that transported the earliest Chinese settlers to Cambodia, and is also surrounded by a moat – a visual allusion to Angkor Wat.

The Morodok Techo stadium is part of the $200 million Morodok Techo National Sports Complex. This mega-facility includes six arenas, a multi-purpose indoor stadium, a swimming center, a weight-training gym, and halls for badminton, table tennis, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball and futsal. When the Games conclude, it will serve as the national football team’s headquarters for home international matches. It will then also become a tourist attraction replete with tours available for booking.

It’s a cool respite from the city

The peninsula of Chroy Changvar is accessible from a number of bridges. Get to it through the best-known connection: the Japanese Bridge. The 700-meter crossing can be done with a 20-minute walk by foot or by car from the picturesque riverside promenade, Sisowath Quay.

Once on the peninsula, notice the fresher air compared to the city, free from traffic congestion. This balmy, unpolluted air quality results from fewer vehicles clogging the streets, as well as the fact that the idyll lies between two rivers: the mighty Mekong and the Tonle Sap, a tributary of the namesake body of water which is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Chroy Changvar also offers multiple green spaces including the Garden City Golf Club, a prestigious 72-par range just meters away from the Morodok Techo Stadium. But this is just one of many spaces for leisure available here.

It has a multitude of day-trip options for the family

Chroy Changvar was already brimming with family-oriented attractions well before the Southeast Asian Games. The peninsula also hosts a prominent theme park, Dinosaurs Alive (since 2018); a huge aquatic attraction, Garden City Water Park (since 2020); and Cambodia’s largest zoo, Safari World (since 2018). The $12 million Win-Win Memorial, celebrating Khmer independence and unity, was unveiled in late 2018. It is a spectacular monument that commemorates the end of civil war in Cambodia in the late ‘90s, and is adorned with bas-reliefs that depict the struggle towards peace in the nation.

It is home to one of the city’s first luxury hotels

The Sokha Hotel & Residence, one of the city’s first luxury hotels, launched at Chroy Changvar’s southernmost edge in 2015. If you’re staying at there, don’t miss visiting Wat Sampov Treileak, which is just a short walk north of Sokha Hotel. This eye-catching attraction which enlivens the periphery of the hotel is a golden Buddhist temple, shaped like a boat. 

It hosts some of Cambodia’s tallest buildings and flashiest condos

Keep your eyes peeled for an up-and-coming luxury property Morgan EnMaison. This riverside development is made up of five soaring skyscrapers – one of which is Cambodia’s tallest building at 243 meters. An integrated resort set to open in late 2023, it has super-luxe features including a helipad, multi-level sky club, rooftop infinity pool, private yacht marina and lush ecological landscape garden. Inside the four principal towers you’ll find a luxury hotel, shopping mall, restaurant, school, gym and sauna, while the fifth will be an office tower. In a city that at the turn of the millennium had virtually no tall buildings, Morgan EnMaison is just one example of Phnom Penh’s new sky-high panorama. With all these developments in sight, property experts speculate that Chroy Changvar is set to become the city’s new CBD post-SEA Games.

Find out more about the SEA Games at the event’s official website. Ready for an adventure in Phnom Penh? Fly directly with Thai Airways and Thai Smile Airways.