Campuccino #88
Heat, Powder, and Off-Key Neighbours: A Khmer New Year Chronicle
Sou Sdei and welcome to Campuccino, your bi-monthly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia with a dash of opinion.
To new subscribers, welcome! I’m Darathtey, a communication consultant, writer, and researcher. Learn more about my work here.
Happy belated Khmer New Year everyone. Here in Cambodia, KNY also means the hottest time of the year. Despite how unbearable the heat was for me during the three-day celebration, my introverted self refused to partake in all the water and baby powder fight festivities outside. The idea of being involuntarily touched by strangers and caked in unknown-source powder was out of the question, yet I was glad to see that people were having fun and getting a chance to cool down for a bit. I couldn't say the same about my neighbors though. They doubled down on the schedule of their terrible karaoke, and for five days straight (yes, KNY started on Monday but my neighbors began the "who has the worst vocal" contest since Saturday) – first shift from 11 in the morning to around 3pm, and then second shift from 4 or 5pm to around 9pm. They sang to their heart's content, with music, without music, no problem. My sanity and patience, however, were heavily tested. I think at one point, I wanted to purchase a microphone just so I could scream into it, aiming at my neighbor to shut up. Do not worry, I didn't go through with it, but a woman can dream.
- Darathtey
Alright, Let’s talk about tariffs. The tariff rampage by the Trump administration has been going on for a while now and I am certain that every reader here is aware of it to some extent. Cambodia, you see, was just minding our own business when suddenly, overnight, we woke up to a 45% tariff slap by the US. While I’m neither well-acquainted with the topic of economics or good with math, I knew it was bad. The decision made by one of the so-called superpowers was made on the basis of inaccurate information citing Cambodia imposing a 97% tariff on the US. This was disputed by the Cambodian government. This explainer by Kiripost will help you understand the calculation a bit better. Originally, the proposed new tariff was supposed to be in effect on April 9, but the US then delayed this date adding a 90-day window for negotiation.
While the Cambodian government is busy dealing with this so-called tariff reciprocation by the US, Chinese President Xi Jinping is busy on his Southeast Asia tour which includes Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia. Xi arrived in Cambodia on April 17. Here is when I throw a totally unrelated fact at you: April 17 marks the fall of Phnom Penh, captured by the Khmer Rouge. This year marks 50 years since that happened. Therefore, I find it quite odd to see Chinese flags up and flying around town on April 17, iykyk.
Anyway, Xi’s range of bilateral goals for his visit to Cambodia stressed the need to build a “China-Cambodia community with a shared future”. The two-day visit resulted in thirty-seven agreements signed, topped with “support” for the Funan Techo Canal.
Since we’re talking about superpowers’ balancing act of world hegemony from a tiny Cambodia’s perspective, I might as well touch on the now-opened Ream naval base (remember?). A new China-funded expansion of the base was inaugurated earlier this month. The extension and refurbishment of the Real navel base was funded by China from 2022. If you could recall, as I mentioned the naval base multiple times throughout the year, the West, especially the US, have been freaking out about the base for quite some time now. A bunch of Washington officials and think tank experts are pretty sure China's going to end up with their own permanent navy base there. The Cambodian authorities keep insisting that even though China is paying for the improvements, this won't compromise Cambodia's neutral position, and they claim that naval vessels from any allied nation will be welcome to use the Ream Naval base.
After all these, if you still question why Cambodia is a really really good friend with China, here’s one more reason. Bridge No. 28 a new and tallest bridge in Cambodia. Measuring 537 meters in length and 90 meters (some other sources say 80 meters!) in height, the bridge connects Battambang and Pursat province with Koh Kong province. Bridge No. 28 costs $200 million, $188 million of which was a loan from China. I’m not gonna lie, the bridge looks quite cool.
Visually Pleasing
Arts & Culture
🏡 One of the very few times I wish I was a millionaires was when I saw Vann Molyvann’s house in central Phnom Penh went up for sell for 7 million dollars a few years ago. I would have bought it if only to keep it standing as is. Phnom Penh has lost enough of its modern historical landmarks already and the very tiny optimist side of me wishes we would not lose this one as well. Therefore, I was beyond thrilled when I saw the announcement of the house being converted into Brown coffee and a gallery displaying some of Lok Ta Vann’s best works! This was a collaboration between Brown and local architecture studio HKA and Partners. After years of riding past this remarkable structure, I got to go in for the first time, and the architecture, as expected, did not disappoint. I am grateful for the privilege this project has given to many Cambodians to experience the space. This video detailed the story behind the project. I found myself unexpectedly emotional at the end of the video as a profound sense of hope washed over me. This is a rare and precious feeling given the current climate in my country.
🏢 While the amazing Vann Molyvann’s house got the fix up it deserves, other modern architectural landmark of Phnom Penh such as the Angkor Meanchey building might not be as fortunate. Located at one of the busiest intersections in central Phnom Penh, it is hard to miss the Angkor Meanchey building if you travel along Monivong Boulevard up to its northern part. Late last year, the government negotiated with the building’s residents to relocate. The future of the building is uncertain. I naively hope that this building will not follow the footsteps of the White Building but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. It is true that the building is old and is in a rough shape that it has become hazardous but that facts do not take away its iconic status for the city and its historical significance.
🇰🇭 I'll conclude this newsletter with a personal reflection drawn from my formative years and experiences growing up in Cambodia. It is about Khmer New Year, or what we now call Sangkran. I would like to put a disclaimer that I’m no language or cultural export, merely a very curious Cambodian. It is just that the use of the term “Sangkran” for Khmer New Year is a relatively recent phenomenon. The younger Darathtey was familiar with the word Chol Chhnam Thmei. This has been sitting in my chest for a while now because I thought I was alone to notice this but I wasn’t. Cambodia’s social media saw some discussion about this too. In fact, the discussion was so extensive that the Prime Minister actually made a social media post about it. Now, I’m not trying to figure out the right or the wrong of the switch of vocabulary. I wish there would be more explanation or debates about the switch so we can begin to understand why. Otherwise, there exists the assumption that we kinda just follow Thailand. I know some Cambodians get very defensive about this but I honestly don’t care who follows who, just be transparent about it. That goes for the big scale water and baby powder fight as well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being inspired by our neighbours.
If you made it to the end, here is a video of Sangkran Wat Phnom 2025.
Campuccino is a fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia, written by @DarathteyDin.
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