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Goodbye Cambodia, hello Vietnam!


What I have learnt about Cambodia


Social
  1. Cambodia only recently became a democratic country in 1993
  2. Cambodia’s population was almost halved between 1975 and 1979
  3. Since 1979 Cambodia’s population has grown by about 4x times as much from 4 million to 16 million. 
Economic 
  1. In 2018 Cambodia’s GDP grew by 6.9%
  2. The GDP in Cambodia is consistently growing year on year
  3. In 2012, 34.7% of Cambodia’s GDP was accredited to agriculture 
Environmental 
  1. Cambodia does not have the same rules and regulations on animal welfare. Animals are transported in conditions that would not be allowed in the UK. Animals also have very little status in Cambodia and are just used for food or people’s entertainment.
  2. There are a huge amount of strays
  3. The cows are very skinny.
  4. Bomb fishing is still carried out. This is where a bomb is dropped into the ocean to kill all the fish. This is completely unsustainable and ruins the natural habitat. 
  5. The land is very dry and therefore dusty.
  6. The air quality is poor. Especially in cities. Breathing is much harder.
  7. There is no awareness on the importance of minimising plastic waste especially single use plastic.
  8. The waste system in general is not fantastic. People leave their waste loose and dumped by the side of the road. There is a lack of widely available recycling receptacles. 


Overall I have found Cambodia a really interesting place to visit. It has a very complex recent history. I found it hard to believe how recent the Genocide was during the Khmer Rouge period was. It was the most harrowing experience of my life visiting the killing field and S21 prison however I was truly inspired by the two survivors that I met. This day also helped me to understand why some of Cambodia is the way it is. There is great poverty and in some ways a lack of the things that I think make up a functioning society such as free healthcare and education. Cambodia as I have seen it is a young country. It is still in the early stages of its rebuilding. After the death of almost half their population during the 1970s Cambodia is still recovering. Despite this though the people of Cambodia are incredible. They are kind and they are just trying to provide a better life for the future generations. I truly believe that Cambodia is one to watch and will be a completely different country in 20 years time. 

Here are some Cambodian highlights and scroll down for my Vietnam expectations! 


Night out on pub street!

Seeing the sunrise over Angkor Wat

Nature slowly pulling down the temple 

Quad biking at sunset


Meeting ... one of the survivors of the S21 prison

Seeing a Thai boxing match

The beautiful scenery on Koh Rong Island


Sunbathing on Koh Rong Island 


Seeing a sunset to end all sunsets


What I am expecting from Vietnam

So I think Vietnam will be an interesting country. Yet again I think that because of the Vietnam war it will be in the early stages of its development. I think they will again probably eat some things that in the western world we would describe as strange. I think climate wise it’s going to vary with the south being hot and the north being cold. 


I don’t know much about the Vietnam economy or the war. In regards to the environment I think they will have similar attitudes to Cambodia in regards to animal cruelty and waste management. 





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