Phnom Penhculture & etiquette

Cambodia runs on two currencies at once, but they have split by size. Anything under about ten dollars is now settled in riel: change comes back in riel whatever you pay with, ATMs mostly dispense USD 100 notes or riel, and the small US bills that used to circulate have largely gone. Keep 10,000 and 20,000 riel notes in your pocket and treat 4,000 riel to the dollar as the working rate.

An EB extension is an immigration document. The work permit is a separate Ministry of Labour document filed through FWCMS, it runs on the calendar year, and it expires on 31 December no matter when it was issued. Since 2024 immigration has been checking for a valid permit before approving six- and twelve-month EB renewals, so the old habit of ignoring it now costs you the visa too.

As across the Theravada Buddhist world, the head is the most sacred part of the body and the feet the lowest. Don't pat children on the head, don't point your soles at people or Buddha images, and don't step over someone sitting on the floor. Remove shoes entering homes and pagodas.

Palms together at chest height is the everyday greeting. Height signals respect: chest for peers, mouth for elders and teachers, nose or brow for monks. Let the junior person offer first. A handshake is normal in business, but the sampeah always lands well.

Phnom Penh is not violent by regional standards, but bag- and phone-snatching by motorbike riders is common, especially on riverside streets and after dark. Carry bags on the pavement side or across your body, don't walk with your phone out, and don't fight back if it happens — people have been dragged.

Phnom Penh's private hospitals handle routine care competently, but complex surgery, cardiac events and major trauma are routinely evacuated to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City. Any insurance policy you buy here should include medical evacuation with a named provider — that clause, not the outpatient limit, is the one that matters.