Cambodia has been becoming more acquainted with the digital sphere for the past 3 years. In particular, Facebook has been one of the most ubiquitous social media platforms amongst the locals. With a population of over 16 million, over 6.8 million are Facebook users, with a 43% growth since January 2017.
An astonishing number of public or private Cambodian Facebook groups have been created recently, with hundreds or thousands of followers, which makes Facebook unofficially the best communication channel in Cambodia.
Because official websites require technological expertise on how to develop them and upload images, they are often left not updated or are simply written in Khmer. Facebook groups or pages, on the other hand, are easy to set up, and can be easily updated using a mobile phone by anyone who has at least some experience with social media.
You can use Facebook for anything under the sun: meeting new friends, finding jobs, seeking apartments, finding out what’s going on it town, selling or buying, and discussing visa issues or best restaurants. Considering how often things can change in Cambodia, Facebook seems to be the most reliable source to know what’s happening, almost in real time.
If you are planning to visit, travel or volunteer in Cambodia, the first thing to do is to create or update your Facebook profile and get connected!
Here’s a list (*) of the most popular Facebook groups written in English :
- Cambodia Visa and Work Permit Group has been a very informative group that provides information about the requirements for obtaining Cambodian visas and work permits. Any changes to the acquirement process and the system of the Cambodian visas and work permits are posted in this group as well.
- Expats and locals living in Siem Reap, Cambodia and Phnom Penh & Expat Forum are groups that mostly caters to people who are looking to buy, sell or rent various items. It’s also helpful in showing what’s available for apartments or accommodations.
- Cambodia Expats Online is a discussion forum with the latest Khmer breaking news translated in English.
- Reaper Babes is a network of women in Siem Reap. This page is a great place for networking, finding products/services in town, and finding out what’s going on around town.
- Siemreap.net is a source of news and information about Siem Reap, Angkor and Cambodia in general.
- Collaboration Cambodia is a self-managed community of non-profit organisations in town. These are organisations with various backgrounds attempting to further the efforts of NGOs by facilitating networking between them.
- Siem Reap incident report is a group where news and incidents in Siem Reap are posted. The group was created in 2015 with the aim of making Siem Reap a better and safer place.
* List last updated in September 2019
