Although Sihanoukville does not offer the same opportunities for shopping as Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, there are still a few souvenir shops and local markets that you will find interesting to browse through.

Support the locals by buying locally made products!

This Sihanoukville shopping guide gives an indication of some of the shops and markets you may wish to visit, as well what to buy and what not to buy. And after all this shopping in Sihanoukville, what better way to unwind than to sit down to a nice meal at a great restaurant - justifiably famous for their deliciously fresh seafood!

Sihanoukville Shopping Guide

The port city of Sihanoukville is slowly emerging as a popular tourist spot with its enchanting beaches and picturesque islands. The city has growing shopping opportunities with several supermarkets that have opened recently, catering to both the local people and foreign tourists.

You may like to check out are some of the funky beach clothes on offer, as well as model boats and trinkets from other parts of Cambodia. The markets in Sihanoukville are mainly geared towards locals, and as such tourists may find navigating through them to be a bit more difficult than more touristy markets, but it is a chance for that truly local experience!

Sihanoukville has distinctive souvenir items that you can take back. Bars and guest houses stock trendy T-shirts and matching accessories. One such place is the Boom Boom Room. If you are looking for Cambodian art and artefacts, coffee, spices, jewellery, greeting cards, local condiments, textiles and other local specialities, then Rajana is the perfect place. This is a non-government organisation (NGO) which specialises in Cambodian arts and craft. Rajana has its outlet in Sihanoukville and it is above the Starfish Café.

Look for places carrying products produced and marketed by disadvantaged women under the "Mother Under the Tree" Snardai project, of the local NGO M'Lop Tapang on Serendipity Beach. The products here are made and sold by underprivileged women and children and are stocked at outlets like Geckozy, Holy Cow and Starfish Café. For more information, please visit their website www.mloptapang.org

If you are keen to take home a souvenir from this port city, then you might want to lhave a closer look at the locally handicrafted scale models of Cambodian fishing boats. These models are made from wood and are detailed replicas, inside and out, of the fishing boats that ply the coast of Cambodia. Each boat has a distinctive number and are available at some bars and restaurants.

As opposed to what you might have read in older guidebooksm, ATMs are easily accessible around town. There are two ATM machines of ANZ Bank and one each of Canadia Bank and Acleda Bank in Downtown. The CCS Hotel and the Golden Sands Hotel on Ocheteaul Beach also have an ATM each.

What NOT to buy!
You may notice stands along the roads selling seashells and coral. The harvesting of coral and shells is destroying reefs, damaging the ocean environment and is illegal. Further, those shells are so shiny and beautiful because they contained living animals when they were collected - animals now dead to provide such perfect specimens. Please do not encourage this trade.