Siem Reap, Cambodia - December 2025

I’m embarrassed to say I’m writing this blog post nearly nine months after coming home from Cambodia. I let life get in the way of writing, but Cambodia deserves to be remembered.

More than once, I considered skipping the Cambodia portion of our tour and going home from Hanoi. Cambodia and Thailand had been fighting throughout 2025. A new wave of fighting broke out on December 7, shortly before our trip. My distant impression of Cambodia was poverty and war, and I wasn’t sure the trip would be worth the effort of crossing another border, just for a couple of days. Oh boy, was it ever worth it.

Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site from the early 12th century

We flew Cambodia Air from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, arriving around noon. Our guide, Mahmoud, told us the plan was to go directly to sightseeing, but, after a 5 a.m. start to the day, we were all hungry and tired. Not only did we stop for coffee and a lovely lunch, but Mahmoud said he would flip the itinerary to streamline our visit.

As we drove the smooth roads from the airport, right away we could see that Cambodia was quieter and greener than the parts of Vietnam we’d seen. Attitudes seemed to be more polite overall. Our first stop after lunch was Banteay Srei Temple. It had beautiful pink sandstone carvings, with a strong monkey theme.

It was strange hearing so many references to the Khmer when all my life I’d only heard of atrocities by the Khmer Rouge. Everywhere I turned, there was a reference to war. Mahmoud remembered his parents telling them to hide and they would go underground to evade bombs. He didn’t say “caves,” but that’s what I imagined. He tossed off the memory so casually, as though it were a normal part of childhood.

Another guide, Brapha, said he and his friends would play with the bombs they found. The tails of the shells would stick out of the ground and they would bang on them. His dad would come running and yell “What are you doing!”

After Banteay Srei, we walked down a broad jungle path to Ta Prohm, a temple that was discovered relatively recently. Trees had grown up through the temple, covering parts of the buildings with giant root systems.

Hot and tired, we arrived at our hotel, the Royal Angkor Resort, in the late afternoon. We sank into large, leather sofas in the lobby while the guide took care of our check-in. The nicest of all of our accommodations, Royal Angkor had an Old-World air, with spacious rooms, beautiful hardwood floors, and clawfoot bathtubs. My room had a view of the beautiful pool, reputedly the largest in Cambodia.

The hotel offered free tuk-tuk rides into town, and we took one to dinner. The driver took us to a restaurant he recommended and offered to return us to the hotel for $3. True to his word, the driver was in the parking lot when we finished. We were surprised to see that he’d parked and waited for us. My brother wanted to be dropped off at Pub Street. It was a beautiful evening with perfect weather. It took a minute to explain that Jamie wanted to walk the 2 ½ miles back to the hotel after he was done looking around, but we worked it out. I headed back to the hotel with the tuk-tuk. We each gave our driver $5.

The next day, we visited possibly the most famous site in Cambodia, the Angkor complex. Angkor Wat is a UNESCO World Heritage site from the early 12th century. It is huge, very beautiful, and was teeming with visitors.

After Angkor Wat, we went to Angkor Thom, a fortified city covering 10 sq km. The city is enclosed by a wall and wide moats. After stopping outside the gate to take photos of the demons and gods lining the bridge over the causeway, we drove inside the complex.

We had another excellent meal after, possibly one of the best. Every meal in Cambodia was served with a beautiful presentation. The small dishes were arranged on a bed of uncooked brown rice.

That night was New Year’s Eve. Our whole group opted for tickets to the Amazon Angkor Restaurant-Theatre where 40 dancers, singers, and musicians performed Palatine and village dances. A huge buffet offered a variety of international foods. The program claimed Khmer cuisine together with a taste of Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, European, and western dishes.

We were so far from western traditions. Without the usual Christmas music, lights, and Santa, the holidays seemed to slide right by us. A week earlier, our guide in Hoi An had asked if anyone wanted to go to church. We were all confused by the question until we were reminded it was Christmas Eve.

Cambodia doesn’t celebrate the western new year in a big way. Their main celebration is in April. And on this New Year’s Eve, they couldn’t set off fireworks for the tourists because of the conflict at the Thai border, even though it was around 90 miles away.

I spent the first day of 2026, my last day in Cambodia, lounging by the pool and then having a lovely massage. Cambodia was a perfect transition from the buzzing energy of Vietnam. I felt safe and well cared for while I was there. In spite of the history of war and corruption, the deep jungles and ancient temples resonated with me, offering a sense of peace for the weary traveler.

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Tips & Recommendations

Safety: Cambodia has suffered a drop in tourism, largely due to the border conflict with Thailand. This blogger makes the case that now is a great time for you to visit. Cambodia is an Amazing Country. And Tourism is Currently Way Down, Making it a Terrific Time to Go.
Timing: We had beautiful, comfortable weather at the end of December. November through February usually has cooler, drier weather with clear skies and comfortable temperatures.
Currency: Everyone we met and every shop accepted U.S. dollars. I had a stack of $10s, $5s, and $1s I thought I would need in Vietnam, but didn’t. I was really happy to be able to use them and not have to exchange currency for the three days we were in Cambodia.

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