Cambodia how safe is it.?

No sweat safe . Enjoy

Thank you, although I know enough not to walk down dark alleys and streets at night, I have been checking on the net for sometime now , and it appears that if I show common caution , I would be O.K. But I am a bit nervous about going nonetheless.

any advice about going to Cambodia , would be greatly appreciated, I understand  Siem Reap is better and cheaper than Phnom Phen , is this correct..

Hi perhaps this will assist you, take Cambodia like any other country, crime is everywhere, it's how you look after yourself. Siem Reap is a wonderful place and yes it has some crime like any other city but if you move within certain limits I don't think there is a problem, I for once have not encountered any but I don't wonder about dark corners in the night. Accommodation, I would suggest you get yourself an apartment, price USD 200 and up. Very nice places are available and in good location. In the beginning till you have settled, a guesthouse is a good option. Visa you can get for 1 year at a time, at the airport you can get a 1 months business visa and you can extent, the cost I think is below USD 300 for a year, hope this will help you, regards.

Thank you so much.....I have never been out of the U. S.  but  would love to see Cambodia...

Now book your 1 year return flight, best directly to Siem Reap, get packing, look up good guesthouses on Trip Adviser book and arrange airport pick up. And yes take some extra passport photos with you otherwise you will have to pay at the airport when you get your business visa. anything else you need to know ask, me and many other good people on the Expat.com will guide you along, regards Mike

Thank you Mike , but  I am confused, about the round trip ticket,  is that needed when first flying into Cambodia. I know most countries require a roundtrip ticket, but it appeared  , with some checking , that Cambodia did  not, Please explain what is required.... My plan was to get a one way ticket , as I don't know my return date at this point., although I plan to get a one year extended visa , and also have some dental work done. possibly , Are you saying that I need a one year return ticket when first arriving in Cambodia....?

I think that your airline would be the best bet to find out as some airlines wan't allow you on the plain without a return flight, but will see what I can find out and let you know.

I just spent a short week in siem reap and it seems perfectly safe to me.  Since I was just an ordinary tourist I wouldn't know about long term housing or long stay visa options.  There are web pages about visa issues but they tend to be a bit limited, related to cambodia, I mean.

I love siem reap so it should be nice.  As a tourist it's hard to know what a local lifestyle would be like since seeing temples would get old.  I live in Thailand so expat life is familiar but it would be different there,  more  like rural Thailand.   I've only been to phnom penh once and there is more of a city there but with more of a town feel to it, of course much less developed than bangkok.  It would be easy to go and take a look at bangkok since bus trips over from siem reap are inexpensive and the trip isn't far.

Thank you Mike, very much appreciated .  My problem was I didn't want to waste money on a return ticket, as I don't know my return date, and it is very possible that I may extend my one year visa. At any rate  , I want to be sure on this point.  I called an airline ticket office out of Dallas Texas , and he seemed to think a one way ticket to Cambodia, was O. K. , but  I am looking for more proof of that at this point , so I make sure I get everything done correctly....Thanks again for your assistance.

Yes thank you, I  plan on visiting Bangkok once I get to Cambodia. once I feel my way around and get settled  and accustomed to the place... Also possibly Vietnam   .  I would have preferred going to Thialand  but because of the visa restrictions, . Although I am a retired person , I do not have a large enough bank account to qualify for a long term visa in Thialand...

@Bobjohnson1217

Have you thought of a ticket into Laos. Siem Riep to Pakse in southern Lao  is cheap.

Well I thought about an onward ticket out of Cambodia , but I don't understand how that would work,  you would still have to have a round trip ticket out of Laos ,  but if  there is a problem with a one way ticket,, I will just go ahead and get a round trip ticket , , I know I could get an open ended return ticket, but the cost is much higher, As it stands the cheapest round trip ticket will cost me about 500.00 more than a one way, but if that is what I have to do to avoid any problem, that is what I will do...

You do not need a return ticket to get into Laos.  In all then years I have been coming in and out of Laos(40+) I have never been asked for airline tickets.
Travel agents in Pakse can organize return into Cambodia for you.

It really depends  on the airline, if the airline let's you fly with a one-way ticket than you are ok. Cambodia Immigration will not ask you for a return ticket, I have not heard anybody being asked. So it pretty much depends on the carrier you will be using. Another option is, if you want to get cash back, after arrival in Cambodia instruct your travel agent to cancel the return flight and reimburse you, however you will loose some cash on the cancellation of the return leg of the flight. You travel agent will be able to give you details. Other points to consider, book a guesthouse in advance and arrange pickup from airport, if you don't like the guesthouse you can always change into another once you are on the ground. Nothing else to worry about, general safety rules apply, don't show cash around, don't trust blindly, negotiate with drivers in advance but this you would also do in your country, being careful. Good luck and perhaps we hear from you when you arrive in SR.

Thanks  so much  Mike ,  very much appreciated....

I did check with Malaysia Airlines which is the cheapest airline , out of Dallas , and  was told that I could purchase a One way ticket , If that is the case , and no mistake was made  I will go that route... but will not be purchasing my ticket until after the first of the year.  And yes I will take your advice and get an advance reservation at one of the guest houses , that provides and airport pickup.....thanks again .

I double checked again, about a one way ticket to Cambodia,  and was told again that I could get a one way ticket, but (Moderated: inappropriate comment) .So if I buy a ticket online , and get to the airline and they say it wont work....?  Oh well I still have a couple of months to find out for sure...

Did you try researching it online through the Cambodian embassy?   You can also get your visa ahead of time online, which should clarify limitations and give you peace of mind.

http://www.embassyofcambodia.org/index.html

I just researched visas and it seems they use a secondary website and company for visa processing, and it could all be a little clearer in the web pages,  but you can also contact the embassy with questions. You really can get visas on arrival in phnom penh or siem reap airports but your concern is for how long and if there are any limiting requirements or non-standard options, as for longer stay.

Thank you,  I believe I have gathered enough information, I am going to take a shot, at it, I will have the resources to change plans if necessary .  I am looing to talk to anyone who has recently  been  to Cambodia, are who is in  Siem Reap Cambodia now, as that is my destination when flying out of the U. S.

I was in Siem Reap two weeks ago

No worries.

Siem Reap is consider one of the most friendliest city to travel.

As for your one way ticket thingy, it should not be a big problem. Unlikely they will ask for your return ticket. If they ask, you can said you are doing overland to either Thailand or Vietnam.

Your comment very much appreciated.   any other advice or information would also be appreciated.  thanks so much, And as I plan on taking a trip to a neighboring country anyway,, I will keep that in mind if I have any problem with entry, without a round trip ticket... My plan is to apply for a extended business visa during the initial 30 day ordinary visa...Possibly up to one year...but that will be decided on once. I get settled for a few days...thanks again , wish you well...

How long is a piece of string

We trvaelled to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh a few months back. Siem Reap is a very beautiful city. You get huge trees everywhere. It is not a mere concrete city There are lot of historical places to visit such as Angkor Wat, Bayon etc. You get good Guest houses. Affordable rates. Food is normally good. People are normally friendly, but shop keepers try to cheat you. Be careful.

Generally, to get a business visa, you have to be entering the country. It's difficult to change from a tourist visa to a business visa in country.

I'd recommend buying a one-month business visa on arrival (actually now called an Ordinary visa, with a letter E at the beginning of the visa number) and then extending it for one year once you're in the country. You can do the extension at travel agencies.

If you enter on a tourist visa, you'll probably have to leave Cambodia, then come back in and buy a (one-month) business visa on your return.

hope that helps!

Interesting point about shop keepers trying to cheat you in Siem Reap. 

I didn't experience any of that but the hotel staff definitely would try to get you to do things that provided a kick-back for them, like go and see a boring show, or go see that big lake for no good reason but to get their cut on setting it up, or use their friend's car service for double normal rates, or use their cell phone for calls for really high rates.  Those things are bad service but not necessarily a scam.

They do start negotiating price around double what they expect to get, or maybe more, depends on them, but again that's not a scam.

In contrast in Laos in the past we found almost every food ticket added up wrong or something on it we didn't order.  The pricing was already so low I probably would've missed most of it but it drove my wife crazy (she is Thai), and she wasn't going for it.

The "milk scam" in Siem Reap related to a funny example once.  They ask you to buy milk for a baby for them, typically one they are lugging around.  You buy it in the local store then they go back in the store and sell it right back, splitting a profit with the owner.  My wife said she wanted nothing to do with milk but she would just give them money if they needed it, and they were completely confused since that wasn't part of the scam.  The obvious thing to do would be for them to take the money but they wanted to hold out to get the milk (not too bright--they use kids to run the scam), so we walked away.

Hi Roy "Farmer" a rather derogatory statement of your's, "Quote"  SR has a few good supermarkets, stoking items we normal people like "Unquote" Who would the interpretation "normal people" be channeled at?

For Pete's sake
Are you wearing a virginal  suite or have you read bad things in our country
Any western  male here in Cambodia is safe if that is what you want
However if you want to indulge.      Let your hair down and go with the flow
You won't forget it.      Or regret your decision
Mjk

"The price of tourist visa (on arrival) to Cambodia will be increased effective October 1, 2014. Tourist visa (on arrival) will cost US$30.00 (from US$20.00). Announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Cambodia, as published by The Phnom Penh Post, August 15, 2014 Issue.

Read more: http://www.howtogotocambodia.com/visa-f … dia/"

The ordinary (E) visa is now $35. If you wish to extend it, this would need to be done before the expiry date and before leaving the country again.

OP, have you ever been to Cambodia? Why would you like to move there? Can you deal with living in a country do different from yours where you do not speak the language? You need to take a long hard look at yourself to determine those answers.

In regards to the original question, the answer depends very much on you. Some people travel to a country and meet the wrong kind of people and then can never be convinced that a place is safe, while someone else has been visiting regularly or lives there and never had anything bad happen can never be convinced that the place is safe.

In regards to the plane ticket, all flights to Bangkok require a return ticket or a visa for sure, flights terminating in Phnom Penh may be different.


Once you get there, also visit other parts of Cambodia. The fact that SR is such a big tourist attraction, that land and house prices are rather high (not room rentals though, $100 can get you a small apartment)(l/h.p. might not affect the OP) and that your movement towards Angkor Wat National Park will be limited (they'll want $20 each time for simply entering that area even if you are going somewhere else/just passing through) might get old a bit after a while. SR is also the hottest province I believe and occasionally the city is flooded out around September/October.

I do love the Cambodian countryside and outside of SR is where I fell in love with it for the first time. Eventually, I settled on a different location though.

Thanks  I am still trying to get a definite , answer to flying into Siem Reap on a one way ticket, it seems all I am getting is maybe answers, As I intend to extend my stay  there, and have no definite return date. I know I can get a refundable ticket, but as I will be going on a strict budget to start with. I would rather not go that route, .....Is there anyone that has been there recently on a one way ticket without out any problems. Problems I do not want of any kind in a foreign country  . Anyone having a definite answer,    Please reply.....thanks...

Hi Bob, Malaysia does not fly to Siem Reap though, only Phnom Penh.

Do a google search on "entering cambodia with one way ticket from bangkok"

There is a recent thread from 2014 on a different forum. A low cost airline like Air Asia may give you hassle or not, it seems.

Get Malaysia to put their word into your booking record that a one way ticket is OK and you will be fine.

If you can afford it, however, having a return flight in your pocket does provide some extra security. If you don't like Cambodia, or if you get sick, for example, you have the comfort of knowing you can get on an already paid-for flight.

Thanks for your reply,  I do understand, that I may or may not be able to get adjusted to the difference in the culture in Cambodia,  but  as I am a retired person with a monthly income,, I believe I can adjust to it, my needs are not that great at this point.   I went on the net and brought up the world travel blog, and it says  U. S. citizens are not required to have a roundtrip ticket for Cambodia, but as I don't plan on going until Feb. I will keep checking to make sure...

Hi

I live in Siem Reap and work in a hotel here. When i moved here, I was on a tourist on arrival visa ( as business one takes time) I flew in on a one way ticket. At no point was I ever asked, or my staff who have joined me,been asked to show a proof of return ticket.

You give your passport into the desk, with your visa application for tourists and pay $31 dollars ( 30 if u have a photo with you already) they stamp it and collect it. Its valid only for one journey in.

There wont be an issue with a one way ticket.

However, you will need to leave the country every 30 days, to get a new visa.

Your hotel or even your apartment rental ( if its decent) will take a copy of your passport and send to immigration. So if you go over your visa time limit, they will expel you ( although that will probably take some time, if u want to stay here, its best to make sure you dont run over your visa)

You could apply for a business visa, saying u are a journalist or something. Its not expensive, and that way u can live here for a year, and come and go as you please.

I adore Siem Reap, its a beautiful and easy place to live and I am sure you will adore it too. It is the most safest friendliest, quietest little place to be, and its a pleasure to be here.

I hope this helps you

I just returned from living in PNH for two years, visiting Siem Reap fairly regularly.  I had a couple of incidents with safety.  I girl on a motobike ran into me on my bicycle and I did a face plant.  Traffic in PNH is much works than Siem Reap but if you do ride a motobike or bicycle, always wear a helmet.  I would not count on the healthcare system of Cambodia for much beyond treating a cold.  You need a healthcare plan in case something does happen.  I did all of my healthcare in Thailand and had excellent experiences at both BNH and Bumrungrad hospitals in Bangkok. 

Safety kind of depends on what you do when you are there.  A Russian guy living next to me had some guys follow him home from a club one night and they shot him on his doorstep.  If you go to enjoy the culture and the people, and you respect both you are probably about as safe here as anywhere.  If you go for the purpose of exploiting a country with lax and randomly enforced laws on child prostitution and drugs, then you are on your own.  Causing someone to lose face can get you into trouble.  Cambodia has its share of pick pockets and petty crime and everyone is desperate to make a buck.  People are poor.  Understand all this and you'll be fine.

I live  by my simply rules.     as an Australian
Treat all with respect and not as arseholes and you will be ok
Cambodians are very quiet people and do not tolerate or want to answer back
They would rather turn the other cheek and save face
However if forced like anyone else they could  go overboard.      But I have never seen
Since 2003
Cambodia is still like the Wild West with little interference from police or anyone else
providing you are doing the right thing.        Which 90 % of us ex pats are doing
No young people or drugs.        otherwise I hope you go to hell and get caught in the meantime
This is a good country and very tolerant for westerners
Michael

Thanks for your reply, I am looking forward to seeing Siem Reap, .