context: im a foreigner

from my understanding a lot young adult Cambodians live with their family for cultural reasons. But I also can't imagine a 20-something renting a 200-300 USD apartment on their own if the average wage here is 400-700 USD.

do newly weds even think about getting a borey or a condo? most of the advertised properties in the market come off bougie and out of touch to me, but i also don't know if payment terms for mortgages are manageable here.

i guess im generally asking if most people even think about buying a house as a possibility or if its only reserved for the upper-middle class Cambodians with parents who have money.

i know there was a housing bubble in 2019-2022 that showed how fucked real estate was here, but im wondering if locals find the whole market unaffordable from a renters' or buyers' perspective.

This is my second time visiting Cambodia. First time was last December, travelled from Italy to PP, Kampot, Sieam Reap and Koh Rong for almost a month, now in PP again for 4 days to catch my flight back to Italy after a month travelling Vietnam.
I am honestly almost shoked by the kindness and politeness of Cambodian people, so much so that sometimes I feel like I am about to cry.
I have travelled extensively around the world, and I can say without any doubt Cambodian are by far the nicest and kinest people I have ever met.
Doesn't matter whether in a big city or small village, people always smile at me, want to talk to me, greet me, wow. Coming from a big city in Italy (Milan) where everybody is always on the rush and minding his own business, this feels like another world to me.
I feel so welcome in this country that I want to come back a lot of times just to feel the kindness of the people on the streets, in the hotels, in restaurants. Wherever I go I am met with sincere smile and kindness that is almost overwhelming for someone coming from Europe.
Never have I have encountered a single person that tried to scam me as a tourist (compared to Vietnam), and instead it happened so many times I was invited by random people of all ages to share a beer or a meal with them wthout wanting anything in return.
Hell, a fee days ago I was in a restaurant near my hitel and paid in Riel. The waitress was short of 500 riels of change and told me she would go get the change from the store next to it, to which Insaid don't worry keep it (it's like 0.10€ lol), she said thank you so much sir. The next day I was randomly walking by the same street, the same waitress spotted me and came running to me to give me my 500 riel!
Despite I obviously make 10x in Italy as they probably make in Cambodia, they offered me a beer or something to eat for free and refuse to get my money when I wanted to pay them back, just saying it was their pleasure I was visiting their country.
I am really sorry this country sometimes gets a bad reputation as Scambodia due to the problems with scam centers run by Chinese mafia, but I want to say something to all cambodians: thank you so much for making everytine my experience in this beautiful country the best in my life, to make me realize that there is still some genuine kindness and love around the world, the world needs more people like cambodians to be a better place.
I hope Cambodians people can remain true to their kindhearted personality despite all the shit that is going on in the world and not be corrupted by mass tourism as I have experience in other SEA countries, where I basically felt just like a walking ATM to be used as a quick way to take some money frome me.
I will defintely return, and after visiting so many countries, I am thinking of making Cambodia as my usual vacation destination: not because there is much to see (sure Angkor Wat is amazing, but I have already visited all major tourist sposts around the country), but just to experience the warmth of its people.
Arkun, till the next time my beautiful friends 🙏🏻

Hello everyone!

I’m planning to apply for an Ordinary (Business) Visa for 30 days. For proof of entry, I’m considering attaching a bus ticket from Vietnam to Phnom Penh.
However, if my plans change after the e-Visa is approved, would I still be able to fly directly from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, despite having listed the bus as my intended mode of transport on the application?

Thank you!

So to clarify: if I show proof of bus tickets for my evisa, do I mandatorily have to travel by bus, or can I fly in if my plans change?

Guys, is there any trick to knowing someone’s identity just from their phone number? I’ve had my house used as a place for a scammer to scam people from online shops numerous times already, and it has seriously ruined my life.

They seem to know that I’m usually home at night and leave in the morning. There’s this girl who only targets baby shops. She orders multiple items from different online baby shops and tells the delivery people to leave the packages in front of my house, then she apparently QR-code scans them later. This has happened multiple times already.

I really want to know who this person is. I already used the Facebook account/login information I had to try to find her Facebook, but her account is locked and only has 39 friends.

I want to file a complaint with the police. Has anyone ever encountered something like this in Cambodia? Because this is honestly the first time I’ve been targeted by scammers like this, and it has seriously affected my life.

Is it standard for businesses to give you money they wouldn't normally accept, to get rid of it? For example, if I try to pay with a $10 bill with a hard crease or tiny rip in it, businesses won't accept it. It seems like almost every time I receive change for a $100 the business (mostly bars) give me a bill with a tiny rip or hard crease in it, which they wouldn't accept themselves. Sometimes I catch it and have them replace it, but other times it's too dark or I'm not really paying attention and notice later. It isn't a big deal because I can use the money in America. Just wondering if it's a standard practice for businesses to give you currency they wouldn't accept themselves?

Question of how long to hear back from employers after cvs sent through?Also what schools in the outer provinces / further districts from Phnom Penh are currently hiring? Thanks !

How is Mondulkiri in November? Is it a good time to visit?

I just had a chat with ai about the border conflict and scam centers etc. I wont say what it said but if its a subject that interests you it has an interesting and verifiable opinion. Information i hadn't heard before. Not sure what else i can say. (Maybe breaking ai rule i see.if so please remove)

Unlike the ones where we were taught, and forced to consume at school; do you still find yourself reading novels in your free time (reading for the fun of it)? If so, do you read it traditionally or digitally? Currently pondering on whether I should translate it to Khmer as well once I'm done writing it.

From my own findings (asking friends and relatives), I only found one that is *ABIT* interested in reading novels. Hence I decided to also ask here, I don't use fb or tt :(

(ps, please respond no matter how old this post is. I need the info 😭)

៦៧ៗៗៗៗ

For those who have seen the movie or have known about it, what are your thoughts on the movie? I've heard a lot of great things about it and now I'm intrigued

Does Cambodia use QR payments like TH? Can TH payment options be used in Cambodia like TH bank apps or TH e-wallets? How about AliPay+? Or do you really need cash, USD and Riels? How about using tap to pay in USD with Revolut or Wise? Is the exact USD amount deducted or is there an extra fee added since it's a foreign transaction even tho its still in USD?

This might be a sore topic but I just wanted to get a general feel. I've been here to phnom penh, siem reap, preah vihear, koh rộng, and various smaller provinces like kompong speu on volunteer missions. The pay disparity is so drastic just like VN and other sea countries. It's very disheartening.

Lately I bought a birthday cake for my gf for $70 from Rosewood Hotel where the average night is $300. Some guy on IG was advertising a nice villa getaway resort that average a night was somewhere in the range of 1500-3k a night. Like wth. When you can take a grab for $2 or less and a breakfast for $10 is considered expensive. I went to a bday dinner for 10 people and it cost $160. That's unheard of in the states.

So back to the question. My gf, as a pharmacist, is making roughly 900/month. I know thats on the very high end. But is that like middle class or? In the states, same profession, I make 150k a year, after taxes taken home is 80k. If I, and other expats, move are we considered to be middle class? Cuz it's still nowhere compared to the millionaires like ChipMong company or others that run the BKK area.

Anyone have input or opinions on this?

Hello 👋🏼

J'aurai besoin d'informations concernant bakong tourist.
Je vais partir avec de l'espèce afin de gèrer mon budget, et ce système me plaît car l'espèce sera en sécurité.

Si nous ne validons pas le compte, on a droit à 500$/ jours ce qui me semble largement suffisant personnellement.

Dans ce cas la de non validation de l’application, y a t'il un plafond de versement en espèces?
Puis-je le faire de n'importe quelle banque?
Est ce bien utilisable aussi au Laos, Vietnam et Thaïlande aussi facilement?
Merci
🙏🏻

Hello everyone, just as the title says, I’m a Cambodian in my 20s living abroad. I’ve moved here for uni and now am completing my internship. I’m sure some people might feel this way and I want to know how to cope with it or any advice.

As I start thinking what should come next for me, I have been wondering whether to stay here and return home. I know that I have this privilege that most Cambodian people are dreaming of, but I just want to share how I feel.

What hesitates me is the career. Does Cambodia have a good opportunity for me? My degree is in healthcare and it’s so much different between the two countries and I don’t see myself working in hospitals in Cambodia. Working in a pharmaceutical company/organisation that I can work with foreigners might work but I don’t know there’s sth like this or not. Once I finish my internship, if I can find a good place to work at, I think I can live well without struggling. The salary is higher but so is the expense. However when it comes to my work and life balance, I find it hard to enjoy myself anymore. During a break/holiday, I go out sometimes, but I never feel satisfied with what there is to offer. There’s nth really, well yes there are malls, cafes, beaches or restaurants but they never hit the spot. I remember back home even going to a simple lunch outing to Kien Sway, oudong etc is such a fun thing to do with family and friends. Every time the weather is nice and sunny that’s when I miss Cambodia the most. However, talking about food ngl these days it’s not easy to find fresh produces without too much chemicals in Cambodia unless you know your vendors well and know where they get em from.

Another thing is I’ve been here for more than 5 years, so I hope to get a permanent residency here in case things go sideways, not talking about all stress from applying for it.

Can anyone share their experience or advice? Did you go back home or decide to stay? And how do you cope with it? Do I have this feeling because I’m just feeling homesick? I feel like it’s unhealthy to keep living this way if I’m not recharging my body well. TIA

Just had a foreigner I would say British maybe mid 20s to early 30s tell me he lost all his belongings because he was in a scam compound. I want to believe him but I don’t know….he only asked for some money but wasn’t pushy about it.

He also mentioned that his embassy wasn’t helping.
What do you all make of it?

Bro, I think I’m seeing a pattern with Foodpanda

I’ve ordered groceries online for quite a long time, mostly thru GrabMart, but I use Foodpanda when GrabMart doesn’t have certain items. This is now the 3rd time a prepaid order has been cancelled as “customer unreachable.”

Last night, one item was out of stock and the store took forever to process the replacement. I had already agreed to it, waited a bit, then checked the order again—only to find the entire order cancelled.

????? I got no call, missed call, or message. And the rider hadn’t even left the store yet

I assumed the refund would happen normally, so I ordered from the same store again the next day. Then I checked my balance and saw I’d only received $0.10 back—the price diff from the replacement 💀

Where’s the rest of my money??

Then well…this also happened in May. They refunded the one OOS item but somehow cancelled the rest too.

Getting support was another nightmare. It took forever to reach an actual agent, and then I kept getting the usual “we’ll inform our team / look further into it / please wait 3–5 days” replies. I had to go back and forth for ages before finally getting the full refund. tbh I wasn’t even expecting it.
The weirdest part was:

Yesterday: same items, same address → “customer unreachable.”

Today: exact same items, exact same address → delivered with no issues.

So what’s going on? Is the store stalling on replacements? Are riders using “unreachable” to drop orders?

Or is Foodpanda’s system just broken when an order gets delayed?

Im not trying to drag foodpanda barely had issues until now, and mainly use it cuz GrabMart always lack what I need. But after this happening 3 times, I’m prolly sticking to grab or use COD from now on.

Anyone else experienced this?

Hello, kindly ask support.

I have to send $200 to a Cambodian bank account; received IBAN and QR code

I am currently in Thailand, so I have tried scan the QR code with Bangkok Bank/ Krunsri app but says error.

Simulate with Wise, asks for around 8$ commission.

What do you guys usually use?

Hey there everyone I've been in Phnom Penh for 2 months already and will be until December (I'm doing an internship). Since I'm not part of a university program in here I don't know how to meet all the exchange students who will arrive very soon for the fall semester
I'd love to meet other exchange students to hang out in Phnom Penh (and around on weekends)
Feel free to text me or just dropping your pieces of advice down in the comments!
Thanks everyone!

asking to settle a debate with a friend 😂

and also, can cambodians tell when someone is born and bred in the US even if they speak khmer?

I’m looking to play once or twice a week, maybe indoor style. I’ve seen folks playing at the Riverside and other places but are there any organized leagues I can sign up for?

6 A side, me and a couple friends would like to join, if your team is short on players. Thanks in advance.

So long story short, around 6:15PM, my gf was riding her motorcycle back home near ភូមិឬស្សី​, Steung Mean Chey and the sling bag dropped from her motorcycle without her noticing (she had many stuff on her motorcylce and the sling bag was infront of her attachted to the ទំពក់សម្រាប់ដាក់ថង់កាហ្វេខាងមុខម៉ូតូ) . When she realized that her bag was missing and when she checked FindMy on her iphone she saw the ipad was just a few meters from her home and when she went to the location, the sling bag with the ipad and phone went missing (someone have picked it up). After a few minutes the ipad have moved on Findmy further from her home and she started chasing them from STMC to pub street and other location around Phnom Penh for about 2-3 hours and the theif eventually returned back to the Steung Mean Chey area. So we decided to talk to the cop and they said they won't help us because it is not a robbery or something like that.

Does anyone have any experince losing an iPhone or ipad or how do you recover your lost iphone or ipad? thank you for your information and help!

Unless Cambodia has another type of large fatty fish that tastes just like them​