Meanchey Location Profile

Overview

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The Khan (district) of Meanchey is situated in south-eastern and southern part of the capital of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Meanchey used to be a sleepy, underdeveloped area of the city but since the early 2000s, Meanchey has experienced an economic renaissance. The emergence of industrial factories and international property developers means the district is changing quickly.

This is especially true to the south, with land being repurposed from the former lakes of Boeung Tompun (the Chak Angre area) and is now undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization. Meanchey also has some of the largest malls in the country being developed within its Sangkats.

Over a relatively short amount of time, Meanchey has become one of the fastest developing districts of Phnom Penh.

Key Information

Meanchey, since the early 2000s, has experienced an economic upturn and the emergence of industrial factories and international property developers means the district is changing quickly.

The lakes to the south in Boeng Tumpun were filled in to make way for large-scale developments. These have seen the addition of large scale mixed use developments, schools, residential complexes and malls being built or planned to be constructed.

The area to the southeast in Meanchey, in Steung Meanchey used to be among the most impoverished, often associated with the large dumpsite located there, and as a result many nonprofits and NGOs had set up bases to assist the many underprivileged Cambodians. The most well known of these is PSE.

Over the years, the whole area has seen improved infrastructure and roads and better economic development.

Meanchey and surrounding areas in the suburbs are known as the “factory district” of Phnom Penh. There are more than 1,500 registered factories in Cambodia producing garments, shoes, beverages, plastics, and other products. A lot of these industrial facilities, mainly garment factories, can be found in Meanchey district.

This also has led to affordable living developments in addition to improved infrastructure and roads, which previously have been quite poor.

Currently, Cambodia hosts more than 5,000 borey (gated community) projects. Several of these residential developments are located within the borders of Meanchey district.

Prominent names include:

Woodland Residences
Borey Preak Toal
Borey Chip Mong
Borey Peng Huoth The Star Eternal
Borey Penh Huoth The Star Platinum Athina.

In particular the development of the ISPP (International School of Phnom Penh) campus in the southern Meanchey area, along National Road 2, as well as the construction of the Samdech Techo Hun Sen Blvd (60-metre road) and The Factory have lead to a boom in development of residential complexes, shopping malls and showrooms all being earmarked for construction.

Urban Living Solutions is a real estate and lifestyle development firm concentrating on community-focused solutions to meet Cambodia’s rapid urbanisation and has large residential developments in Meanchey and developed the Factory.

According to the 1998 census, Meanchey consisted of eight Sangkats with a total population of 157,112 and the population by the 2008 census had grown to 266,865

In 2019, Phnom Penh had a total population of 2.13 million with a population growth rate of 3.92%. The total population density in 679 square kilometres (262 sq. mi) is 3,136 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Around 90% of the country's population is Khmer; the remaining minorities are the Cham, Vietnamese, Chinese, and indigenous ethnic groups sometimes called Khmer Loeu.

Things To Do in Meanchey

For your shopping needs, there are many local Cambodian markets, shopping centres, and retail shops in Meanchey. These include New Steung Meanchey Market and Boeung Tumpun Market where everything from fresh produce to dry goods is available.

Western-style shopping is available at chain establishments such as Lucky Supermarket, Smile, and Phnom Penh Superstore.

Meanchey, particularly the area along Hun Sen Boulevard, is a favourite spot for many property developers, both local and international. Among these are some of the biggest names in the industry including ING City, which is the largest single development in Cambodia. ING City, whose development is ongoing, is composed of an array of residential, commercial, and retail facilities spread over 2,600 hectares of land.

Meanchey is also host to other major residential and mixed-use developments like Urban Village, Lingnan Garden, and R&F City.

Proposed shopping mall developments include Aeon Mall 3, which is due to be the biggest of the Japanese malls in Phnom Penh. It is set to be constructed along Hun Sen Blvd, in Chak Angre Krom commune, at a cost of about USD$164 million. The site is expected to cover 170,000 square meters.

The Chip Mong 271 Mega Mall is also under development and is Chip Mong’s biggest mall to date, due to be ready by 2022. Located in Khan Meanchey, it is expected to be 150,000 square meters over five floors.

A third mega mall is also being developed along Samdech Techo Hun Sen Blvd. The PH Diamond Place was announced in 2018 to include a new supermarket on six hectares of land and the mall will cover 62,000 square metres with 30,000 square metres of rental space.

Yuetai International Group’s YT Mall is developing a shopping and entertainment centre in Steung Meanchey commune with an area of 30,000 square meters, it was announced in 2019.

Meanchey is home to two big universities- Asia Development University (ADU) and Cambodia University for Specialties (CUS). Other well-known educational institutions that have a presence in the district include International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP), Beltei International School, Brighton International School, and Khmer British International School.

The district is host to a number of sports and recreation centers, including Meanchey Sports Club, Camko Sports Club, and Akira Sports Club.

It's strange to mention roads as landmarks but St 271 is a well known and very lengthy road that runs through Meanchey all the way to Toul Kork in Phnom Penh.

In addition, the Samdech Techo Hun Sen Blvd (60-metre road), was inaugurated on 3 April 2017 by Samdech Techo Hun Sen. The road has a total length of 9,169 meters and is 60 meters wide in total and is the spine to many of the new developments in the Chak Angre area.

Many iconic landmarks in Meanchey have already been mentioned. The International School of Phnom Penh is one of the most prestigious, expensive and best schools in the country. With excellent facilities, sporting and academic, as well as black box theatre, the school covers large grounds which include floodlit sports fields and an olympic size swimming pool.

There is no shortage of eateries in Meanchey. In the past, the area was dominated by small-scale dining outlets offering local Cambodian fare. But things have rapidly changed in the last few years.

Now, local and international restaurants are facing intense competition, and there are a number of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese restaurants in Meanchey. It is not hard to find well known brands and franchises like Le Seoul or Korean BBQ in Meanchey.

There is also an abundance of coffee shops in Meanchey, including well-known names like Amazon, Koi, Brown Coffee, and Chatime. Lesser-known names like Coffee Today and Coffee Premium also have a presence in the district.

The glut of new shopping malls will also diversify the culinary options in Meanchey in years to come.

At The Factory, Fulcrum Cafe (run by Feel Good Cafe), the Analog Factory Bar and Two Birds bar provide a range of food and drinks.

Khan Meanchey is not a place with a rich nightlife, however it is well connected with major roads to many parts of the city of Phnom Penh with a better reputation for nightlife.

Again, the new developments will change this quickly as they will attract more visitors, residents and tourists to Meanchey and nightlife venues will pop up.

Within The Factory setting, the multi-purpose facility is home to sports activities, shared working spaces, cafes and events. In addition, Two Birds Craft Beer has set up its brewery onsite and has a fully functioning bar.

ISPP also offers evening evening sports games and school events and activities.

Khan Meanchey has a good road network, which has seen some major upgrades throughout the Khan. The city bus service runs through the district, and there are also many tuk-tuks and motodops for hire (ride-hailing apps are available or they can be waved down for use).

Infrastructure development is often key to the economic growth of an area. Meanchey is no exception. In the last few years, the district has seen many new roads, sewer systems, and other infrastructure.

In addition to Hun Sen Boulevard and several other major road projects, the government has also built several flyovers in a bid to ease traffic congestion. To lessen the possibility of flooding, a pumping station was installed between Boeung Tumpun and Hun Sen Blvd. Canals and sewer systems in the area were also repaired and improved which makes the roads less prone to flooding.

Phnom Penh International Airport is located close to Steung Meanchey.

There were previously large tracts of land available but huge swathes have been purchased for development and there is a lot of construction going on throughout Meanchey.

Although, traditionally, not many expats lived in Meanchey, this has changed and the overall development of the Khan is attracting more expat residents to the area.

In a few short years to come, some of the Sangkats will be unrecognisable and as malls, schools and other amenities are added, as well as new mixed use development and condos, Meanchey will lure many more expats to live in the area.