How safe is Cambodia for travelers?

The one that actually happens

Bag snatching by a passing motorbike is the most common crime against visitors, and it hurts people. Riders grab a bag or a phone at speed, and the injuries come from being pulled off your feet or out of a tuk-tuk. Phnom Penh's riverside is the hotspot, the Sihanoukville beachfront next.

• Walk on the inside of the pavement, away from the road.
• Cross-body straps go across the body, not over one shoulder - and if the strap is grabbed, let it go.
• Do not stand at the kerb using your phone. That is the setup.
• In a tuk-tuk, keep bags on the floor between your feet, not on the outside seat.

The Thai border

There is an armed conflict along the Thai border and it is not a background risk. Fighting broke out in 2025, a ceasefire followed in December 2025, and it has not held cleanly. The US State Department rates Cambodia as a whole Level 2, exercise increased caution - but the strip within 50 km of the Thai border is Level 4, do not travel, on account of rocket and artillery fire, civilian casualties and mines.

• All the Thai land crossings are closed to tourists, Poipet included. Fly.
• Preah Vihear temple sits in the disputed zone. Do not plan a trip there.
• The Vietnamese and Lao borders are unaffected and working normally.

Land mines

Cambodia remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, and much of the contamination is unmarked. The worst-affected provinces are Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat, Pailin, Kampong Thom and rural Siem Reap.

• The Angkor park itself is cleared and safe, as are the towns and the main roads. This is a risk of open countryside, not of ordinary sightseeing.
• Never leave marked paths and established tracks in rural areas, at outlying temples, or in any field.
• If a route looks like a shortcut across open ground, it is not one.

Scams and the things to say no to

• Job offers. Organised crime runs scam compounds in Sihanoukville, Bavet and Kandal, recruiting through advertisements for easy, well-paid work. People who take them have their passports taken and are held. No legitimate employer recruits a tourist this way.
• Counterfeit notes given as change, in shops and bars. Another reason to look at what you are handed.
• Drink spiking has been reported in bars used by foreigners. Watch your drink being poured.
• The tuk-tuk wrong change trick: a large note handed over, a smaller one produced as proof you underpaid. Say the amount aloud as you hand it over.
• Orphanage visits and "milk for the baby". Orphanage tourism is actively harmful and the milk scam ends with the tin being returned to the shop for cash. Give to a registered charity instead if you want to help.

Cambodia is not a dangerous country to travel in. Violent crime against tourists outside the snatch-theft category is uncommon, and ordinary care is enough.