After more than two and a half years of work, the Alliance Française of Siem Reap opened its doors this weekend. The project, built around the French language and Franco-Cambodian cultural exchanges, aims to strengthen and solidify cooperation between the two countries.

Launched in late 2015 and supported by King Norodom Sihamoni, this initiative has now come to fruition. The Alliance Française in Siem Reap, originally planned to include a language and examination center, an arts and cultural activities center, a media library, a café, and the 8th 100% Francophone bookstore in Asia (and the second in Cambodia), Carnet d'Asie, was inaugurated this weekend in the presence of the French Ambassador Eva Nguyen Binh and the Deputy Governor of Siem Reap Province, Pin Prakad.

Strengthening the trust

The Ambassador took the opportunity to highlight that such an institution fosters meetings between experts, students, investors, and tourists from both countries. Its goal is to create commercial partnerships, raise awareness of the Khmer tourist icon that is Siem Reap, and more. In 2018, French tourism activity in Siem Reap saw a 4.5% increase, with approximately 105,000 travelers visiting the third-largest city in Cambodia. Currently, there are 101 registered French companies in this province.

Siem Reap has been twinned with the city of Fontainebleau in Seine-et-Marne (77) since 2000. Pin Prakad believes that the Alliance Française will further enhance cooperation between the two cities “in terms of tourism, vocational training, drinking water, agriculture, sewage systems, restoration of ancient temples, and more.”

Thibault Bourru