Sihanoukville

Is Sihanoukville safe?

Safe enough to pass through with care, but it is the riskiest stop on Cambodia's usual tourist route. This page covers Sihanoukville city in Preah Sihanouk province, its beaches, and the boat crossings to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, which most visitors are heading for. Violent attacks on tourists are uncommon. The real risks are bag snatching, the city's role as a hub of the online scam industry, crowded roads and boats that sail in bad weather.

The UK FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary names "the beaches and tourist areas of Sihanoukville and nearby islands" as a petty crime hotspot, alongside Phnom Penh's riverfront. Gallup finds only 62% of Cambodians feel safe walking alone at night, against 70% in Thailand. We score Sihanoukville 57, below Phnom Penh (59) and Siem Reap (64).

Scam city

Casinos and unfinished high-rises, many built with Chinese investment, turned Sihanoukville into what AFP calls one of the scam trade's most notorious hubs. A 2025 Amnesty International report found 22 scam locations in the city, out of 53 across Cambodia. People inside write romance and crypto cons, some willingly, others trafficked and held under guard. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says crime groups advertise "easy jobs with high pay", then take recruits to secure compounds, mostly in and around Sihanoukville, the border areas and Kandal, and keep their passports.

The government says it is cracking down. In January 2026 AFP watched workers leave the Amber Casino after the accused scam boss Chen Zhi was arrested and sent to China; an analyst called the sweeps "anti-crime theater", and a tuk-tuk driver said one compound emptied before police arrived. Raids went on through 2026: on 3 June police detained 111 people in a residential building in Sangkat 4, 108 of them Indonesians. In October 2025 South Korea raised Sihanoukville province to Level 3 and advised its citizens to leave, after reports of Koreans kidnapped and confined by scam groups.

For a tourist the lesson is simple. The compounds do not target people on holiday, but they recruit online. Do not accept a job, a "business opportunity" or a free trip from someone you met on social media, and be wary of new friends who invite you to a casino or a private address.

Theft on the beaches and roads

The most common crime against visitors is the snatch. Thieves on motorbikes cut bag straps and grab phones from people on foot, in tuk-tuks and on motorbikes, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says victims are often hurt when they are pulled over. It singles out Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville for snatching from motorbike taxis.

• Leave passports and spare cash in the hotel safe and carry only what you need.
• Hold your phone away from the road and carry bags on the side away from traffic.
• Choose tuk-tuks with side grilles, and never hand over your passport as a deposit for a scooter.
• Check that dollar notes you get as change are genuine; fakes circulate in shops and clubs.

In 2022 the provincial police chief insisted the city was no longer a crime hotspot, after a period when local reporters described kidnappings, robbery, drugs and weapons smuggling. Our scores rely on the FCDO's current advice rather than either claim.

Boats to Koh Rong and the sea

Nearly everyone who comes here takes a boat. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that boats in Cambodia have had accidents when overloaded or poorly maintained, and that tourist boats sometimes sail despite weather warnings, particularly between Sihanoukville and the nearby islands. On the evening of 30 December 2024 a shuttle boat carrying 17 tourists from a larger vessel capsized off Hawaii Beach; one man, aged 31, was found dead two days later.

Book an established ferry company, sit where you can get out, and wear a life jacket. From June to October the monsoon brings storms and rough seas, so build a spare day into your plans. In the water, the FCDO warns that jellyfish near the shore can deliver fatal stings and that you should take extra care from May to October.

Nights out, women travellers and health

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports that women, including British nationals, have been sexually assaulted in Sihanoukville, and that island dance parties carry risks of sexual assault, robbery, injury and arrest. Drink spiking happens in some bars, and methanol in alcoholic drinks has killed people in Cambodia, so stick to beer or sealed bottles. Police raid venues popular with foreigners and may demand a urine or blood test; a positive result means arrest.

Medical care is the other weak point. On the islands, the FCDO says, help is limited or non-existent, and it advises insurance that covers medical evacuation. Dengue, malaria and Zika are present. Call 119 for an ambulance and carry insurance that covers evacuation.

Traffic

Cambodia has one of the highest crash rates in South-East Asia, according to the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary, and travel after dark makes it worse. In the first half of 2026, when traffic enforcement was paused, Preah Sihanouk recorded 92 crashes, more than any province except Phnom Penh, and road deaths nationwide rose 11%. The Interior Minister proposed the province as one of five targets for stricter enforcement from 1 September. Motorcycles were involved in 83% of crashes nationwide in the first nine months of 2026. Riding a motorbike taxi is risky, and helmets are compulsory.

How we scored it

Traffic safety (42) is Sihanoukville's weakest factor, followed by theft (50) and health (50), where the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's hotspot warning and thin island care weigh most. Violent crime (72) sits below Phnom Penh's because of the scam compounds and reported sexual assaults. Night safety (61) uses Cambodia's Gallup share, which is why confidence is low.