On Koh Sdach island, in Cambodia's coastal Koh Kong province, Hem Kin Oun and a group of women walk the shoreline every week looking for discarded fishing nets snagged among the rocks or washed up on the sand. These lost nets, known as ghost nets, keep trapping marine life and catching on coral reefs for as long as they stay in the water. The group she leads, SHE Waves, gives them a second life.

The Kingdom comes ahead of Laos, Thailand and Malaysia in a ranking by the American magazine U.S. News & World Report. Placed 17th worldwide, Cambodia sees its authorities welcome a distinction that highlights its network of protected areas.

A blue ocean under a dazzling February sky, off the coast of Koh Kong province in southwestern Cambodia. On February 14, 2026 – irony of fate, Valentine's Day –, an immense and graceful silhouette emerges from the abyss. It's not a mythical monster, but a whale shark (Rhincodon typus), locally nicknamed « tri baanang kingkuk » or « giant whale fish ».

Koh Kong is a largely underrated place for a relaxing weekend getaway in Cambodia. The province was once the Far East part of « Country...