Category: Cambodia
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A shophouse in the alley
Srey, determined to support her parents, made the courageous decision to leave her rural Cambodian village and move to the city. She joined her older brother, his wife, and their son, who had moved to the city much earlier. All 4 of them live in a small room that doubles as both their private home…
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Making ends meat
Nas sells meat while her husband cruises the city streets in his tuk-tuk as a driver. I asked her why she chose to sell meat in the market rather than sell clothes. She explained that selling meat is more convenient because she doesn’t need to pay for the supply upfront, unlike clothes which requires cash…
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Juicy competition
Night after night, a familiar sight unfolds on the bustling street corner. The vendor’s cart takes centre stage, drawing a lively crowd. Customers call out the names of their fruit juice – watermelon! mango and orange! avocado! He gives a nod to confirm that he’s heard the request, and whips up the juice on the…
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3 tips to flourish at a market
Thyda possesses remarkable expertise in distinguishing between freshwater lake fish and those raised in artificial farms. She explained that farm fish are often administered chemicals to maintain their health, and she can immediately identify the farm fish based on their distinct sliminess that hampers their ability to dry properly. Thyda’s extensive experience of over 30…
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A river of protein
A lady chills on a platform surrounded by plastic buckets of iced seafood in the humid market in Cambodia: fish, eels, stingray, water snakes, prawns, cockles– a sea of protein. The Mekong River is the largest supplier of protein in the region with over 1,100 species of fish. Mekong is second in its bio-diversity only to…
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Breakfast banter
Early one morning at the market, a few strangers huddled around a vendor who was cooking noodles called “Lot Cha” លតឆា during the bustle of breakfast. The air was thick was humidity. At one corner of the table, a lady broke the news about her friend’s newborn baby who had just died. The other women…
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Hanging by a thread
While I was browsing the Night Market, Chamroeun invited me to explore her collection of clothes. I was struck by her impeccable command of English, learning that she was not only an enterprising seller, but a Literature teacher. She balances her time by hawking good from 6:00pm to 11:00pm every night, and rises early in…
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Stronger after a fishy history
Ny comes from a family of fishermen, and she has always sold fish. However, everything changed during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s when all businesses were forced to shut down. Ny was forced to go to the countryside to work in the fields, while scholars and artists were tragically shot. When Ny described…
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What are you cooking today?
I step into a market in Cambodia. The atmosphere is dim. Bulbs hanging listlessly from zinc rooftops. Maret is perched on a wooden platform surrounded by raw meat that she is chopping on a circular wooden block. Softly, she says: “I quit school to support my parents, they live in the countryside. They told me…
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Reaping Cash
Chenda used to work in the fields of Cambodia, but the harvest could not support her family, so she started a business in Siem Reap to reap cash. Her advice to shopkeepers: be friendly. Business is all about good relationships! Chenda says that the worst thing about her business is when other vendors undercut her…
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Canvassing the city
I stumbled across a store stacked floor-to-ceiling with an incredible collection of paintings. The owner showed me around, introducing himself as “Art.” True enough, I noticed his unmistakeable signature on each canvas. While curious, I refrained from questioning his choice of pseudonym. “Art” has witnessed a fragile existence in his homeland. The Khmer Rouge’s brutal…
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Rice bowl
Rice is a staple food in Cambodia, and any crisis rapidly impacts Sokun*’s business. For example, during a tense border dispute with Thailand in 2008, all her rice was sold out. Similarly, in 2013, devastating floods swept across the land, leaving her without any rice to sell. Economic anxiety is immediately felt in her business,…
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Surviving from day to day
Conversations with men and women running small businesses in Siem Reap (Cambodia). Why did they go into business? How did they choose their trade? What helps them to survive? A tale of education, rural-urban migration, and personal aspiration. Fresh juice from the street. Just call out your favourite fruits, and he’ll whip it up on…
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Markets in Siem Reap (Cambodia)
We enter the mystical world of Siem Reap, a city in the north of Cambodia and home to the legendary Angkor Wat (“Temple City”) built in the 12th century that hosted around a million inhabitants in its time, making it one of the largest cities in the world before the Industrial Revolution. In the 1970s,…
Shopkeeper Stories 