Interview with Thong Sophalkun, Phnom Penh Tour Guide

I interviewed THONG Sophalkun at Brown Coffee BKK. He's a tour guide for Phnom Penh, and he was eager to share his knowledge. 

Q: How long have you been a tour guide? 

A: I've been a tour guide since 2014. 

Q: Why did you become a tour guide? 

A:  Because we saw the tourism industry is one of the most important industries in Cambodia. Being a tour guide in Cambodia is the most important job in tourism, because it allows us to introduce foreigners to our culture. 

Q: Do you have a license? 

A: Yes, I have a tour guide license for Phnom Penh city. We can do a tour in the city and some provinces around the city. 

Q: Most tourists in Phnom Penh already know about the genocide and national museum. What places do most tourists not know about it?

A: Oudong Mountain, which contains the ashes of the Buddha; and Kirirom National Park, which has a waterfall. 

Q: There's a king buried at Oudang Mountain, right?

A: Yes, Chedi Mouk Pruhm is the burial site of King Monivong. 

Q: Tell me about the king.

A: Another king, Norodom, was the one who moved the [capital] city from Oudang to Phnom Penh. The city was there for about 200 years until the king moved it, and then the French occupied Phnom Penh in 1863. 

Q: You use the word, "occupy," but history books say King Norodom solicited the French to come to Cambodia in order to protect Cambodia from other invaders. Are the history books wrong?

A: They are correct. At the beginning, it was like that. The king did invite the French to protect Cambodia because many countries invaded us, especially Thailand. We got three provinces back from Thailand [aka Siam], including Siem Reap. [Editor's Note: the French defeated Siam in a war in 1893.] 

When the French stayed too long here in Cambodia, they weren't protecting us anymore. When they stayed too long, they became occupiers.

[Editor's Note: Vietnamese troops stayed in Cambodia until 1989, in part because thousands of Khmer Rouge members were still in Cambodia, particularly in Pailin near the Thai border. Officially, the war did not end until December 19, 1998, after the "Win Win Policy." Source: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.] 

Q: What does Siem Reap aka Siĕm Réab mean?

A: Siem means Thai [aka Siam], and Reap means "lying flat," so Siem Reap means the place where Thailand was defeated. 

[Editor's Note: from Kok-Thay Eng's book, "Sum Rithy: Surviving Genocide in the Land of Angkor": The name 'Siem Reap' literally means 'Siam Defeated' or Siam Obeyed or Siam Lying Down,' which is a reminder of historical conflicts between the Siamese and the Khmer with Siem Reap province as a main focal point of conflicts due to its endowment of the Angkor archaeological sites. In Siam, the province and its capital were called 'Siemmarat," which means 'Siam's Territory.' It was perhaps given to the area when the province first became part of the Siamese kingdom in 1795."] 

Q: What is the general Cambodian feeling towards Vietnam?

A: Very complicated because they came to protect us from the Khmer Rouge. But [again,] we didn't know how or when the Vietnamese would leave. The longer a country stays, the more likely they become occupiers. 

Q: The Khmer Rouge killed almost everyone here in Phom Penh.

A: Many people left Phnom Penh, but the Khmer Rouge killed the educated people, the intellectuals. 

Q: What do you think was the reason for the Khmer Rouge doing what they did?

A: There are many reasons, but from what I can see, it was paranoia. 

Q: Fear of what, exactly? 

A: Fear of losing power. 

Q: What does it mean to you to be Cambodian?

A: Culture. We have a long, traditional culture. To me, it's all about culture. The way we live, the food, everything... the religion as well.

Q: What is your favorite Cambodian food?

A: My favorite food is amok fish and beef loc lac.

Q: Beef loc lac is Vietnamese, isn't it? 

A: Yes, but Cambodians make it differently here. We make it our own way. 

Q: I've only had amok with catfish. Do you make it here with other kinds of fish? 

A: Amok is a type of curry. We do make it with catfish, but we can also do it with other kinds of fish and even tofu. 

Q: Who is your favorite Cambodian writer?

A: Chhang Youk aka Youk Chen [director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia].

Q: What is your favorite Cambodian movie? 

A: It could be The Killing Fields (1994), even though it's not made by a Cambodian. 

Q: What is your favorite Khmer word? 

A: I don't know if I have a favorite word, but my favorite Khmer phrase is, "If the culture is gone, the nation is gone; if the culture is prosperous, the nation is strong." [Alternate translation: Extinction culture, dissolved nation; colorful culture, strong nation."]  

© Matthew Mehdi Rafat (December 2022) 

Bonus: my favorite Khmer word is "aspara." 

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. It is not a verbatim transcript.