Phnompenh Safety Guide
Health, security, and travel safety information
Emergency Numbers
Save these numbers before your trip.
Healthcare
What to know about medical care in Phnompenh.
Public hospitals treat Cambodians free but run short on supplies. Foreigners pay cash on the spot unless they check into pricey private wards. Serious injury usually triggers evacuation to Bangkok or Singapore.
Royal Phnom Penh Hospital (ex-Bangkok Hospital) and Sunrise Japan Hospital swipe plastic and honor foreign policies; Calmette Hospital costs less but expect a long queue.
U-Care and Pharmacie de la Gare branches pepper the centre. Always check expiry dates. Antibiotics sit on open shelves, bring a script if you need stronger painkillers.
Cover is not compulsory on arrival but hospitals will withhold care until they see proof you can settle the bill.
- ✓ Pack a fist-size kit: rehydration salts, adhesive strips, broad-spectrum antibiotic, and 30 % DEET repellent.
- ✓ Tap water is not potable. Stick to sealed bottles and skip ice chipped from street carts.
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Phone snatching from passing motorbikes and bag slashing in crowded markets.
Motorbikes rule. Red lights are advisory. Street lighting fades once you leave the core.
Peak May, October; day-biting Aedes mosquitoes in urban alleys.
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
Plain-clothes duo on a scooter waves you over, flashes a fake badge, and demands an instant cash fine for a traffic rule you never broke.
Smiling local insists the temple is shut for a blessing, ushers you onto a cut-price tour, then steers you into a find hard-sell or orphanage shakedown.
Guest-house sells you a "VIP" seat on a fast Phnompenh, Siem Reap boat that doesn't exist; a slow rust-bucket appears instead.
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • PassApp tuk-tuks carry a QR code on the seat back, screenshot the driver ID before you roll.
- • Night buses to Ho Chi Minh depart 20:00, 23:00; board at the company office, not from a tout outside Phnompenh Night Market.
- • ATMs sting you $4, $5 a swipe; ANZ Royal and Canadia machines inside bank lobbies have cameras and guards on hand.
- • Stash two cards in different places; US dollars pass everywhere. But swap torn notes before you leave town.
- • Order grilled or stir-fried dishes that arrive sizzling. Skip raw herbs rinsed in tap water at riverside stalls.
- • Hotel minibars stock Kulen, Dasani, or Aquafina, Phnompenh's default bottled brands.
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Solo women hear cat-calls but rarely face groping. Modest dress earns respect. Bars on Street 172 and Bassac Lane have regular patrols.
- → Grab an inside table at riverside cafés. Kerbside seats invite drive-by phone grabs.
- → Pick women-only dorms in BKK1 hostels when offered. Staff will escort you to the main road after dark.
Same-sex relations have been legal since 2022; no anti-discrimination law yet. Civil unions remain unrecognised.
- → Rainbow-friendly bars: Blue Chilli, Shameless, and Space Hair. Door staff will flag taxis at closing time.
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
Medical evacuation to Bangkok kicks off at $15,000; top Phnompenh hospitals want a cash deposit before they lift a stretcher.
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