Located in South-Central Cambodia, Phnom Penh is the capital and the largest city in Cambodia. It is known as the commercial, economic, and political hub of Cambodia, with majority of the population (approximately 2.1 million people1) residing in Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh has been experiencing rapid urbanisation and industrial development over the past decade with the growth of new shopping malls, mixed-use developments, and hotels, which could serve as potential landing points for Singapore businesses.
1 National Institute of Statistics Cambodia, Socio-Economic Survey 2019
Located in the South of Cambodia, Sihanoukville is the fourth largest city in Cambodia and a key hub for trade business and tourism. It is Cambodia’s second economic hub after Phnom Penh, with a population of around 300,0002. Since 2017, Sihanoukville has seen rapid development, largely due to skyrocketing tourism and foreign investment from China. Sihanoukville is “a landmark project” in China’s One Belt, One Road initiative due to its strategic location and the presence of important businesses and industries such as fishing, logistics, tourism, transportation, processing and manufacturing, real estate, and textile3.
2 World Bank, 2020 3 Real Estate KH, 2020
Located in the North-West of Cambodia, Siem Reap is the tenth largest city in Cambodia with a total population of around 1 million4. It is known as the unofficial tourist capital of the country, receiving 2.2 million tourists annually as of 20195. Siem Reap is home to a UNESCO heritage site, the Angkor Wat Archaelogical Park. The Tonle Sap in Siem Reap is an integral ecological hub in Cambodia and the largest freshwater lake in SEA, vital to agriculture, eco-tourism, and fishing6. A new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport is being constructed to increase overall passenger capacity, with the eventual objective of receiving 20 million passengers annually by 20507.
4 World Bank, 2020 5 Xinhua, 2020, “Cambodia’s Angkor attracts 2.2 million foreign tourists last year” 6 Real Estate KH, 2020 7 Khmer Times, 2021, “New Siem Reap International Airport 42% complete”
Located in the North-West of Cambodia, Battambang is the fifth largest city in Cambodia with a total population of approximately 987,4008. It is also known as the “rice bowl” of Cambodia due to its agriculture-driven economy, producing crops such as beans, corn, paddy rice, and tapioca9. Due to its shared international border with Thailand, Battambang is a trading hub for Western Cambodia due to the ease of cross-border trade with Thailand. Singapore businesses looking to set up agri-processing plants for production of value-added goods can consider setting up business in Battambang due to its proximity to inland trade routes to neighbouring SEA countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam.
8 World Bank, 2020 9 Real Estate KH, 2020