Photography & Ou Thum: Five Years On – Boom, Bust, and Resilience by Monivong Bridge
- Photographe
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
The area located just after the Monivong Bridge (1), in Chbar Ampov district, is undergoing rapid real estate development, with its upsides, downsides, and paradoxes. A visual revisit to a community five years after our first visit.
Boreys, malls, shopping galleries, and residential complexes are springing up a few kilometers from the bridge spanning the Bassac. A true new town is emerging—calmer and greener—with Cambodians delighted to escape the capital's chaos. Some are happy; others, a bit less so.
Contrast
Just before entering Ou Thum village, situated below the Monivong Bridge, we spot two elderly beggars sitting directly on the ground just a few meters from the road, which gets very congested during rush hour. They're there every morning, perhaps hoping for generosity from the many drivers using this route to bypass the RN1 traffic jam. However, with the construction of the Ke Norea Bridge, traffic has calmed down, making it easier now to get around the area.
Upon arriving in the village, right after the bridge, in a small dirt alley perpendicular to Street 371, the contrast is striking: on one bank stands the ambitious "Prince Plaza" real estate complex and other developments, while on the other, many small houses are far more rudimentary, sometimes dilapidated. The bank is quite steep, overgrown with plants but also, unfortunately, with household waste.
Down below, a young mother maneuvers her boat with her toddler in her arms, while other fishermen dock on the banks to deliver their morning catch. We follow a narrow dirt path leading to a somewhat eclectic cluster of small houses and tin shacks. These homes are sometimes neat, sometimes less well-maintained. Some are even decorated with greenery and bamboo.
The community is welcoming; village kids play together while parents work, nap, or sip coffee.
Around 200 families live in these shacks, which have rudimentary sanitation and limited access to drinking water. There's a public school nearby, though.
Many young people work at a nearby fish processing facility or on the proliferating construction sites around—though activity has slowed in recent years. A few NGOs operate in the area to keep some youth from going astray. The best-known is Tiny Toons, with its headquarters right near the village.
Street Vendors
Judging by the number of carts lined up, many residents are street vendors. Ice cream and cold drink sellers wander about; insect vendors and even "wish sellers"—those offering bird releases to tourists—busy themselves around their carts, likely preparing to head to Riverside for work.
Tin, wood, and concrete houses—especially on the perpendicular streets—rub shoulders; some villagers are clearly doing better than others. Fishermen seem to be the worst off, their riverside shacks patched together from scraps, looking like they could collapse at any moment.
Organization
Yet despite the obvious lack of resources for some members, the community seems organized. The water supply and irrigation system is basic, but the villagers have taken matters into their own hands. Some homes even show efforts at sprucing up, and like any little suburb, there are cafés, a few street restaurants, and above all, a warm atmosphere.
It Would Just Take...
Visiting Phnom Penh's neighborhoods and side streets clearly shows how tough waste management is, but you can't help thinking that it wouldn't take much for this fishing village and its small tradespeople to become a bit cleaner and more welcoming for residents.
Repairing or rebuilding a few dozen houses, setting up proper waste collection with central bins (trucks can't reach every part of the village), and some awareness-raising—training on the issue—would go a long way.
(1) The Monivong Bridge is a double concrete bridge named after King Sisowath Monivong (1875-1941). It's one of only two bridges spanning the Bassac in Cambodia, along with the Ta Khmao Bridge further south—a key strategic link for city traffic. It's actually two bridges: the first built in the 1960s, the second inaugurated on May 27, 2009.
To view the full 2019 photo album, click here
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