Siem Reap has a number of tourist attractions related to the war that ravaged Cambodia during the end of the 20th Century and the Tuktuk drivers will want to take you to all of them, ideally on the same day!
Cambodian War Museum
The Cambodian War Museum was built by Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense and contains artifacts salvaged when the civil war ended in 1998. It is $5 to walk around it and a free guide is available.
Most of the vehicles and ordnance had a Russian origin and a lot of it was also used in WW2.
Siem Ream Shooting Range
For $50 you can visit the Siem Reap Shooting Range and fire a clip full of ammo from an Ak-47. For close to $500 you can fire an RPG. This was the first time I fired a gun and it felt less safe than the pyrotechnics I’ve worked with!
Landmine Museum
The Cambodian Landmine Museum in Siem Reap is more than a museum, it is also an orphanage providing a home, an education and support for dozens of landmine affected children. The museum tells the story of why there are landmines in Cambodia and how they are have impacted the country’s past, present and how they will continue to impact it’s future. It also tells the story of the museum’s founder, Aki Ra, who was forced to be a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge and has since devoted his life to removing landmines from Cambodia and helping those effected by them.
Wat Thmey Siem Reap Killing Fields
Wat Thmey is a small memorial to the Cambodians that died during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. A reminder of what can happen when the power and control of government falls into the wrong hands. It is free to visit and features a pagoda containing the skulls and bones of some of those that died along with stories of people that went missing during that time.