Sihanoukville (Khmer: ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ, Krŏng Preăh Seihănŭ [kroŋ prĕəh səjhanuʔ]), also known as Kampong Saom (Khmer: កំពង់សោម, Kâmpóng Saôm [kɑmpɔŋ saom]), is a coastal city in Cambodia and the capital of Preah Sihanouk Province, at the tip of an elevated peninsula in the country’s south-west on the Gulf of Thailand. The city has a string of beaches along its entire coastline and coastal marshlands bordering Ream National Park in the east. The city has one navigable river, the mangrove-lined Ou Trojak Jet, running from Otres Pagoda to the sea at Otres. Several thinly inhabited islands, under Sihanoukville’s administration, are near the city.

The city, which was named in honor of the former king Norodom Sihanouk, had a population of around 89,800 people and approximately 66,700 in its urban center in 2008. Sihanoukville City encompasses the greater part of six communes (Sangkats) in Sihanoukville Province. It has evolved parallel to the construction of the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, which commenced in June 1955, as the country’s gateway to direct and unrestricted international sea trade. The only deep-water port in Cambodia includes an oil terminal and a transport logistics facility. The city has developed into the country’s primary hub for coastal tourism, including as a gambling destination.

Sihanoukville ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ
City
Clockwise from top: Sihanoukville Skyline; Jin Bei Casino; Ochheuteal Beach; Aerial View of Beaches in Sihanoukville; Otrest Beach; Bird’s Eye View of Golden Lions Roundabout; and Statue of Preah Thong Neang Neak
Sihanoukville city’s urban area (yellow) in Sihanoukville Municipality (red) and Sihanoukville Province (purple)
Sihanoukville Location of Sihanoukville City in Cambodia
Coordinates: 10°38′N 103°30′E
Country	Cambodia
Province	Preah Sihanouk
Municipality	Preah Sihanouk
Established	22 November 1957
Named for	Norodom Sihanouk
Government
Mayor	Sar Kackada (CPP)
Area
Total	195.9 km2 (75.6 sq mi)
Elevation	15 m (45 ft)
Population  (2019)
Total	73,036
Rank	7th
Urban	66,723
Urban density	834/km2 (2,160/sq mi)
Municipality	89,846
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)
Postal code	18000
Area code	034

The official name of the city in Khmer is Krong (‘city’), preah (‘holy’) Sihanouk (the name of the former king), which adds up to: “The City of the Holy Sihanouk” or “Honorable Sihanouk City”. King Norodom Sihanouk (reigned 1941–1955, 1993–2004) is revered as the father of the (modern) nation. The name Sihanouk is derived from Sanskrit through two Pali words: siha (‘lion’), and hanu (‘jaws’).

The alternative name, Kompong Saom (also romanized as Kompong Som and Kampong Som), (Khmer: កំពង់សោម) means ‘Port of the Moon’ or ‘Shiva’s Port’. Saom is derived from the Sanskrit word saumya, the original (Rig Vedic) meaning of which was Soma, the ‘juice or sacrifice of the moon-god’, but evolved into Pali ‘moon’, ‘moonlike’ ‘name of Shiva’. The word kampong or kampong is of Malay origin and means ‘village’ or ‘hamlet’. Its meaning underwent extension towards ‘pier’ or river ‘landing bridge’.

The Chronicle of Samtec Cauva Vamn Juon, one of the 18th and 19th century Cambodian Royal Chronicles, briefly mentions the region as the country was split into three parts during a nine-year civil war from 1476 to 1485: “In 1479, Dhammaraja took on the throne at Chatomuk (Phnom Penh) and controlled the provinces of Samraong Tong, Thbong, Kompong Saom, Kampot up to the Bassak, Preah Trapeang, Kramuon Sah, Koh Slaket and Peam” (mouth of the Mekong).