Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville is a port city in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand and is a growing Cambodian urban center. It is 185 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh and it is the administrative center of Sihanouk Province. The city is named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk and grew up around the construction of Sihanoukville Port. Construction on the port began in June 1955 and it was the only deep water port in Cambodia. The port was built in part due to the waning power of the French leading to the Vietnamese tightening their control over the Mekong Delta and hence restricting river access to Cambodia. Sihanoukville's beaches have made it a popular tourist destination.