Gay Guide to Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh has Cambodia's most established gay scene, with bars concentrated in a few pockets of the city rather than one strip. Blue Chilli, open since the early 2000s, is the country's longest-running gay bar, with nightly drag shows Wednesday through Saturday, while POPP in the Riverside area draws an almost entirely local crowd. Cambodia held its first Pride celebration in Phnom Penh in 2003, and Pride events continue each year, though same-sex marriage remains unrecognized despite recent government openness to the idea. The city pairs a low-key, welcoming gay scene with a broader Southeast Asian nightlife culture centered on the riverside.