Prostitutes on the Riverside in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the gateway into Cambodia for most people. The most popular area in the city is the quarter along the river. That’s especially where foreigners go. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that there are prostitutes on the riverside in Phnom Penh. It is not like Beach Road in Pattaya, but there are some hookers around.

In this guide to prostitutes on the riverside, we are going to tell you everything you need to know. Cambodia is still pretty conservative. So the prostitution isn’t always right in your face. You may pass by may prostitutes and not even know it!

The Sisowath Quay riverside

The road that follows the river in officially named “Sisowath Quay.” No one in Phnom Penh calls it that. They just call it the riverside. That’s easy enough, right? The riverside is the heart of the action in Phnom Penh. Most of the girly bars are located there. So are many major markets used by locals.

If you read our guy’s guide on where to stay in Phnom Penh, you already know that you should set up on the riverside. You don’t have to stay right on the river. But you should be in the general area. That way you don’t have to spend your time and money on transportation.

The riverside stretches from the Japanese bridge in north Phnom Penh all the way to Nagaworld Casino. So it is pretty long. You can walk most of it. There is a beautiful promenade that stretches along the river. It is easy to find. Just look for all the flags of the world flying.

You want to sleep in the area between Street 104 and Street 172. But you don’t have to stay around there. You can walk up and down the riverside. It is a good way to get exercise and people watch. If you go at night there are more people. It is a lot cooler at night too.

Prostitutes on the riverside

The prostitutes are mixed in with the civilians on the riverside. There aren’t that many of them. It is even possible to walk the riverside and never find a prostitute. Some guys complain that they went to the riverside and couldn’t find any hookers. Don’t set your expectations too high.

Prostitutes usually hang out around the most popular part of the riverside. You can find them on the riverside promenade between the night market and the Riverside Bistro. There are some benches on the northern stretch that are popular for local hookers.

Most women on the riverside aren’t prostitutes. They are just regular civilians. Cambodians are conservative. No everyday woman is going to come up to you on the riverside. They probably won’t even make eye contact with you.

Finding riverside hookers

Riverside hookers aren’t very aggressive. But they will make themselves known if they are looking for customers. That means they will smile at you or even say “hello.” Once you start talking to them, you will find the discussion going into things like hotels. No civilian is going to talk about that five minutes after meeting.

Be warned that probably half of the prostitutes on the riverside in Phnom Penh are ladyboys. They probably aren’t tricking anyone though. These aren’t passable ladylike ladyboys we’re talking about here. They are pretty masculine looking.

The female prostitutes don’t always look much better. A lot of old and worn ladies work this stroll. It is like the streetwalker scene in most of the world. It’s not a catwalk filled with beautiful models and movie stars. What do you expect?

The riverside prostitutes are freelancers. They don’t have a boss. That means they set their own rates. There are no established facts when it comes to street hookers. But there is a normal market price. The hookers on the riverside normally charge between ten and twenty dollars for sex. They rarely put on an amazing performance. Again, what do you expect?

Safety with Phnom Penh prostitutes

Wer’e not going to tell you that you shouldn’t have sex with prostitutes. We’re not spiritual advisors here. We know that guys have needs. We’re not even going to tell you to avoid the prostitutes on the riverside. That kind of decision is yours to make alone.

If you do decide to go with one of those hookers, we do you want you to be safe. It is the best way to take care of yourself and others too. You should hang around and enjoy life as long as you can. No sense running into undue trouble.

So, how do you stay safe with riverside hookers? First, you need to make sure they are of age. That doesn’t seem to be a problem here. All of the ladies of the night on the riverside we’ve seen clearly became adults a long time ago.

Next, you should practice safe sex. That means you need to buy condoms in Phnom Penh or bring some with you from home. There’s no telling what a cheap prostitute has lurking inside of her. It’s sad, but it’s also a fact. You can’t expect people who sell sex for ten bucks next to the river to be getting regular STD tests done.

Finally, be aware of your surroundings. Keep an eye on things and take basic precautions if you decide to bring a stranger back to your room. You don’t want to end up getting robbed by a prostitute for thousands of dollars and showing up in a news report.