Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Statue, Kampot

What the statue is

The Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Statue is a public monument in Kampot town. As the name says, it is dedicated to friendship between the two neighbouring countries. It belongs to a family of monuments with the same theme, the best known of which stands in Phnom Penh.

It is a free, open-air sight. There is no ticket booth and no building to enter. You look at it from the street, take a photo and move on.

The history behind it

Cambodia and Vietnam share a long and uneven history. The monuments of this type mostly refer to January 1979, when Vietnamese forces and Cambodian allies drove the Khmer Rouge from power. For many Cambodians that date marks the end of the regime. Others see the Vietnamese role in more mixed terms, and opinions on the subject are not uniform.

Reading the statue as a political and historical marker, rather than just a piece of street decoration, gives it much more meaning. If you want to understand it better, ask a local guide or the staff at the provincial museum.

Finding it and fitting it into your day

The simplest way to reach it is to open the map link below and navigate from wherever you are staying. Kampot town is compact, so most visitors can get there by bicycle, scooter or on foot.

• Plan on a short stop of 10 to 15 minutes.
• Combine it with other town landmarks, such as the roundabout monuments, the riverside area and the old bridge.
• Be respectful when taking photos. This is a political memorial, so avoid posing in ways that could be read as mocking it.

Opening hours and entry fees are not listed, because the monument is a public street feature that can be seen at any time of day. Daylight is best for photos.