Cambodia Uncovered - Personalized Tours

Shopping in Khmer markets

Phnom Penh’s markets are always busy as many urban Khmer shop for their food twice daily. They will leave early in the morning often having breakfast at the market before returning home with food to cook for lunch. Later in the afternoon many will return again to purchase food to cook for dinner

The markets are colourful, busy and provide everything that a Khmer household needs from food, clothes, shoes, tools, household items, stationery, handicrafts and repair shops. Many visitors may consider them dirty and disorganised however they are worth a visit just to experience the ‘real’ Cambodia and to learn the art of bargaining! Supermarkets and department stores are a new addition to Cambodia with by far the majority of Khmer still shopping at their local market

The Russian market is a favourite amongst visitors as there are many items worth purchasing. Handicrafts, fabrics (silk, linen, cotton), music, videos, jewellery, gems (including fakes) fashionable clothes (made at the many Khmer garment factories), electronics, hardware, Khmer souvenirs, food and drinks line the many stalls here. If you are Khmer, it would be one of the first markets to visit if you are looking for motorcycle spare parts! The Khmer name for the market is P’sar Tuol Tom Poung however it is commonly referred to as the Russian Market as Russian guests not only frequented the market in the 1980s but Russian goods were also sold here some years ago. Sometimes in Cambodia a ‘barang’ – the commonly used word to describe caucasians (or 'long noses'), are called ‘Soviets’ as Russians were often the first Caucasians seen by Khmer

The Central Market – P’sar Tmei is housed in an art deco building in the central part of town. Like the Russian market, it sells almost everything imaginable including beautiful orchids and other tropical flowers that look magnificent and show off Cambodia’s natural beauty and vivid colours. Many more items for tourists are now on sale here so tourists will enjoy this market as well as others

P’Sar Bang Keng Kong is a small market in the ‘NGO part of town’ which, like other markets has most things a Khmer family would want. This is the market visited on ‘Cambodia Uncovered’s cooking tours. Here you will see food in abundance and you can help buy the food required for the cooking class before cooking and eating it. The market is only one block from Cambodia Uncovered's accommodation

Olympic market is a large market which sells many types of fabrics, motorcycle and bicycle parts, helmets, electronics, household itmes and other usual market items

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