Cambodia or Thailand

[Zidane]

First time I stayed in Phnom Penh it was at the Pavilion Hotel... beautiful hotel... 1500 baht per night... about 450 metres from the Royal Palace.
It was a long time ago so prices double that now probably.
I found a good cheaper option in the City Centre hotel.... around 1000 baht per night... 200 metres from the riverside and 600 metres from the Royal Palace. Don't book the cheap option rooms pay an extra 250 baht for a Deluxe room.
Although near the riverside it was relatively quiet and plenty of restaurants and bars nearby.
Incidentally there is a branch of the Bangkok Bank in Phnom Penh so if you have an account there and one in Thailand you can transfer between accounts.

[udonfox]

To Kenr : US dollars is the main currency in Cambodia,Riel is only used in buying small items.I send money to Thailand via Moneygram,their fees are cheaper than Western Union,with branches in many banks in P P.I would have no hesitation retiring in Cambodia if my family were willing.Ken has made a wise choice.Financially it is a no brainer.

[RLTrader]

Incidentally there is a branch of the Bangkok Bank in Phnom Penh so if you have an account there and one in Thailand you can transfer between accounts.

Also in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi - Vietnam
https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Internat ... ss-Banking

[Drunk Monkey]

Quite a few of my Scunny mates are trying Vietnam.over Thailand yhis year and my cousin who has a Thai wife yet going Vietnam.. these lads are all good spenders n the bars of Patts will miss them.for sure

[Zidane]

Re:Bangkok Bank
That's good for Americans, RLT, as currently they are the only ones able to get a Long Stay visa for Vietnam.
Other nationalities have to exit the country every 90 days.

[Kenr6583]

To Kenr : US dollars is the main currency in Cambodia,Riel is only used in buying small items.I send money to Thailand via Moneygram,their fees are cheaper than Western Union,with branches in many banks in P P.I would have no hesitation retiring in Cambodia if my family were willing.Ken has made a wise choice.Financially it is a no brainer.

No I just wanted to make sure whatever service I used did not convert the US dollar into Cambodian Riel. Actually, sent from the United States to Cambodia, Western Union was the cheapest, only charging .53% on $3,000 US dollars and no conversion fee needed, they were cheaper than MoneyGram. The only thing with Western Union is money cannot be sent to a bank account in Cambodia, only cash pick up.

[Kenr6583]

To Kenr : US dollars is the main currency in Cambodia,Riel is only used in buying small items.I send money to Thailand via Moneygram,their fees are cheaper than Western Union,with branches in many banks in P P.I would have no hesitation retiring in Cambodia if my family were willing.Ken has made a wise choice.Financially it is a no brainer.

No I just wanted to make sure whatever service I used did not convert the US dollar into Cambodian Riel. Actually, sent from the United States to Cambodia, Western Union was the cheapest, only charging .53% on $3,000 US dollars and no conversion fee needed, they were cheaper than MoneyGram. The only thing with Western Union is money cannot be sent to a bank account in Cambodia, only cash pick up.

You know what, I was wrong. I just checked MoneyGram again, and they were cheaper.

[pipoz4444]

Have only been to Phnom penh twice in the last six weeks, for roughly a week at a time, but this place has potential in the coming years and is starting to move. I can't speak for the province areas, (haven't been there) but then my intention, if I did move there, would only be to live in the city of Phnom penh.

Phnom penh (or what I saw of it) strikes me as a city 10 or more years, behind Ho Chi Minh, but starting to show a lot of promise. As long as the Politicians control the Chinese Developments, to some extent, it will not turn into a cess pit.

There seem to be pockets of area, developing some quality small businesses, much like Ho Chi Minh - District 1, back in 2009.

Don't get me wrong, I only saw a very small part of it and some of it was also pretty backward and ugly.

Will just have to watch Phnom penh develope, over the next 5 years and see if it follows is the foot steps of Ho Chi Minh

If you are 5 to 10 years away from retiring, I would definitely put it on my "Watch List"

pipoz444

[Fuzzy Ken]

Whichever way we look at the situation, the ongoing uncertainty over so much in Thailand and the unsettling effect it has on so many expats, it seems to me to be appropriate to at least consider other countries in this region, with Cambodia offering a sensible visa for long stay and overall a cheaper cost of living making for a good start.

The best advice I can offer is "come over and take a look"

I have little knowledge of the provinces but Phnom Penh has good infrastructure, medical services and no shortage of options for shopping and eating. Endless variety of food from BK to posh restaurants. For the more adventurous there is deep fried tarantula, grilled frog on a stick, duck embryos eaten right out of the shell, deep fried flattened bananas and to finish off a nourishing meal there is custard stuffed inside a pumpkin to mention but a few popular choices.

Our website has a lot of information and I am happy to offer advice for short or long stays in Phnom Penh with limited advice for Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. You can reach me through the website blog or email me at [email protected]

https://www.fuzzykensblog.com

Many thanks and look forward to hearing from you, Fuzzyken

[choi choi]

Vlad is There for week! Be interesting see what he thinks about his stay there.
But Not heard from him for 5 days.I worry he has been kidnapped !

[Fuzzy Ken]

Vlad is There for week! Be interesting see what he thinks about his stay there.
But Not heard from him for 5 days.I worry he has been kidnapped !

If I knew what he looked like I would keep an eye open for him. Is he into fried tarantulas and stuffed pumpkins, it might narrow the search area, 5555.
Fuzzyken

[vlad]

I'm in Phom Penh at the moment and I can tell you this place is Bouncing all day and night till you go home. $30 visa no hoops it has a 24 hr bar life. Cambodia may be behind in some ways to Thailand but i can assure you they treat us better then Thais, and take care of there Asset ie Tourist's. Take heed Thailand and look how you should be treating us instead of Scamming us and Driving us away then crying when your suffering.

[Kenr6583]

I'm in Phom Penh at the moment and I can tell you this place is Bouncing all day and night till you go home. $30 visa no hoops it has a 24 hr bar life. Cambodia may be behind in some ways to Thailand but i can assure you they treat us better then Thais, and take care of there Asset ie Tourist's. Take heed Thailand and look how you should be treating us instead of Scamming us and Driving us away then crying when your suffering.

Well, it looks like I'm convinced now where my future residence will be. Question, are there any Americans on this site currently living in Cambodia? With my current bank, Wells Fargo, if I do a wire transfer it will be deposited in a Cambodian Bank in Cambodian Riel, which I don't want. Western Union and MoneyGram are the only two options I know right now I can receive u.s. dollars but only for pick up. Are there are any US citizens currently residing in Cambodia that know of a way transfers that can be done originating from a u.s. bank, or other means, where money can be transferred and deposited in u.s. dollars in a Cambodian Bank?

[Declan MacPherson]

Maybe good to search for a Cambodia forum similar to this one and ask around.

[CountryViewResort]

Well, it looks like I'm convinced now where my future residence will be. Question, are there any Americans on this site currently living in Cambodia? With my current bank, Wells Fargo, if I do a wire transfer it will be deposited in a Cambodian Bank in Cambodian Riel, which I don't want. Western Union and MoneyGram are the only two options I know right now I can receive u.s. dollars but only for pick up. Are there are any US citizens currently residing in Cambodia that know of a way transfers that can be done originating from a u.s. bank, or other means, where money can be transferred and deposited in u.s. dollars in a Cambodian Bank?
[/quote]


You can open a US$ currency account at the bank in Cambodia, here is an example at CIMB Bank Cambodia. https://www.cimbbank.com.kh/en/personal ... count.html

[Kenr6583]

Well, it looks like I'm convinced now where my future residence will be. Question, are there any Americans on this site currently living in Cambodia? With my current bank, Wells Fargo, if I do a wire transfer it will be deposited in a Cambodian Bank in Cambodian Riel, which I don't want. Western Union and MoneyGram are the only two options I know right now I can receive u.s. dollars but only for pick up. Are there are any US citizens currently residing in Cambodia that know of a way transfers that can be done originating from a u.s. bank, or other means, where money can be transferred and deposited in u.s. dollars in a Cambodian Bank?

You can open a US$ currency account at the bank in Cambodia, here is an example at CIMB Bank Cambodia. https://www.cimbbank.com.kh/en/personal ... count.html
[/quote]

Thanks. It's a start. Funny that the US dollar is that one of the currencies listed on their site. The issue through my research is not depositing US dollars, it is depositing u.s. dollars through wire transfers, they want to convert to Cambodian Riel.

[Kenr6583]

Sorry, the US dollar is not listed on their site.

[Fuzzy Ken]

A note about bank accounts here in Cambodia.

I opened an account here with ABA without any problems. They asked to see proof of my address here and of course needed to make sure that I had a long term visa. I had the choice of either a dollar or Riel account. I opted for USD although I could have an additional Riel account should I so wish.
I was informed that I could have a debit card and to choose from Mastercard, Visa or Union Pay. I chose Mastercard and when I use it at an ABA ATM, there are no charges made.

I have money paid in from overseas and draw money from the account using my Mastercard debit card and have had no problems at all including internet purchasing. No problem paying money in or drawing money out at the bank counter using my pass-book.

I chose Mastercard but in fact I could have all three cards provided that I paid the usual annual card fee for each one. I considered that one card was sufficient for my needs.

Whatever we choose we have to get used to having two currencies running side by side but one soon gets used to it.

My website at https://www.fuzzykensblog.com has more information
Hope all this helps, Ken

[GT93]

Come on Vlad, we'd appreciate a bit more info. For starters is the beer a lot cheaper?

[vlad]

Beer is draft Angkor tasty bout 60 pence sleeve of days 5 dollers foods cheap bearing in mind your in a City absolute stunning girls plenty in the bar areas but lot of pickpockets if your a tourists and an easy target don't take your phone out and deff do not leave it on a table. Common sense is the word here.