Battambang

Located in the northwestern of Cambodia, Battambang is famous for being the rice basket of Cambodia. For many years, Battambang has been an important commercial center of Northwest Cambodia. In the recent years, Battambang has also become a tourist attraction due to its ancient temples, palatial Buddhist shrines and well-preserved colonial architecture.

Established in the 18th century with the total population of around 2,500 people, Battambang has grown as a modern provincial capital and developed from French colony to now. Especially, Battambang is a multi-cultural community of Vietnamese, Lao, Thai and Chinese which contributes to the economic as well as cultural development of this province.

Being favored by Sangkae River, Battambang owns nice and picturesque natural settings. Morever, Battambang also owns unique beauty of French colonial architecture and traditional Cambodian architecture. Scattered among French colonial buildings are ancient temples of Wat Baydamram, Wat Ek Phnom, Wat Samsarong Knong, Wat Banan. Among them, Wat Ek Phnom – a ruined Angkor temple built in the 11th century where you can see a giant Buddha statue and carvings representing interesting stories. Prasat Banan and Prasat Snung will absolutely lure your eyes by its colorful and delicate carvings. Besides, Phnom Speu – a Killing Caves with thousands skulls and bones of people died during Khmer Rouge Regime will absolutely fascinate tourists. Besides ancient and mysterious temples, Battambang preserves nice French colonial buildings of Psat Nat, Famous Art Deco, the Governor Residence – a legacy of the early 1900s with balconies and wooden shutters and grand reception. Tourists may get excited about exploring the Central Market where you can see a variety of goods and food and experience the authentic lives of locals there.

In Battambang, tourists will be keen on taking part in different outdoor activities. You can choose to rent a bicycle to cycle along the river bank, through green rice paddies and pretty villages. Trying travelling by Bamboo Train – the combination of flying carpet with wheels rolling on rays will bring you a lot of fun.

If you are searching for the ancient beauty harmoniously combining with the modern beauty, Battambang will definitely satisfy you.