Angkor Night Market

Under the bright light which were being beautified with small tros [Cambodian Traditional musician instruments to catch fish] as well as Cambodia traditional music is being played by a disable band in front of the entrance to get some money from the visitors or buyers who goes shopping in Angkor Night Market.

In order to satisfy the visitors who like shopping at night in Siem Reap, Mr. Lim Num chief of Angkor Night Market said, “We make this market to ease tourists who want to buy something at night after their traveling at daytime. I often thought that if we have something to sell at night may be it is good.  I am a guide so I know well about the tourists’needs.”

The noisiest sound mingle with different languages once they are asking about the product prices Mr. Num added, at daytime the tourists mostly visit temples so they don’t have enough time to buy some souvenir or goods. At night there is only one place along Pup Street which serves foreign tourists who want to drink beer or wine so this point is what I have thought.

While we step into the night market complex which stretched on 4,000 mqs, there are 130 stands which were made from bamboos and covered with thatches in the size of 2m x 3m and 2m x 2.30m each. In that, we see local products are displaying in those small stands to welcome the customers such as the wooden goods, Cambodian traditional skirts, rattans which all are made by Cambodian disables and people who live in Siem Reap.

Angkor Night Market was built in the normal style. The products which are being sold here mostly our local products but it does not mean that we don’t sell foreign products. For the foreign products are in a small number what we mainly want to sell here is our local products, said Mr. Lim Num.

He further more added that the businesspersons who sell their products here are our Angkorean citizen and just a few from the other provinces around Cambodia such as: Kampong Cham, Battambong, Banteay Meanchey, Kratie, and Steung Treng. The price of each stand is from $70 to $150; it depends on the stand size so the sellers have a lot of opportunity to display their products which they had made from their villages to sell to tourists and this is what we want to show to them.

The noisiness of Angkor Night Market begins from 4 o’clock in the evening till 12 o’clock midnight. It located in Steung Thmey village, Svay Dongkum district, Siem Reap province a long Sivatha quay and we have to drive about 100 meters more; we will reach the market. Inside the market, besides the stands there are some painting sites, theatre stage, and restaurants which serve European, Asian, and Khmer dishes a long with a very sweet Cambodian traditional music.

The chief of Angkor Night Market Mr. Lim Num furthermore added that “, if we talk about the businesspersons who sell tourist products in this market get benefit a lot because it is not only the shopping place but also the traveling place.  The night market has just had in Asia. It had already in our neighboring country, Thailand, but it is new for our country.”  

Meanwhile this market had been constructed; Mr. Kuy Song Siem Reap chief of Ministry of Tourism said, the establishment of the night market here is one of the new drives to draw more tourists because they can go shopping at night.

He furthermore added that this market benefits too much to tourism sector if we properly arrange it with a good policy. It will profits to the businessperson like sculpture which can be sold in the market as well. More over this night market not only to attract more tourists to visit but they can also buy the our local products.

The souvenir seller Miss. Hoo Boran said, “I sell so well in this market and most of my buyers are foreigners because my stand mainly sells hand-made-products in order to satisfy to my local buyers as well as foreigners. The customers here are getting increased from day to day because the night market has not just had in our country but their countries.”

“The reason that I want to sell here because this market is appropriately organized; it is not noisy like the normal markets at daytime. The tourists who visit here to buy our products because it is build to complete their desires. Any way the price of products here is same as the normal markets,” Miss Boran added.

As long as the opening of Angkor Night Market which there a lot of visitors come to buys some goods very day, and the  motor taxi drivers are tirelessly awaiting to serve and to keep safety to the visitors till late night.