Statement from the French Embassy in Cambodia

Thailand/Cambodia – Tensions at the border Posted on 12/12/2025

Fighting between Cambodian and Thai forces continues across the border area between the two countries.

Travel in this zone (up to 50 km from the border) is dangerous and strongly discouraged.

Furthermore, given the latest developments in the security situation, French travelers and residents are urged to exercise extreme caution in all northern and western provinces bordering Thailand, especially when traveling outside major urban areas (Siem Reap - including Angkor, and Battambang).

In these regions, it is recommended to closely monitor local news.

Facebook page of the French Embassy in Cambodia Website of the French Embassy in Cambodia

Border with Thailand Updated on 26/06/2025

The land border between Thailand and Cambodia has been closed since June 23 for an indefinite period. It is therefore necessary to take an air route to enter or leave Cambodia.

Nearby tourist areas are strongly discouraged: the Mom Bei region (Preah Vihear province) and the temple complexes of Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Tauch, and Ta Krabei (Oddar Meanchey province).

Access from or to the Laotian and Vietnamese land borders is not affected by this restriction.

Hi there,

I’ve been following this news closely, as I’m heading to these two countries in a few weeks.

I just found out that it was actually the French who drew the map at the root of these conflicts. Interesting to know!

https://www.la-croix.com/international/thailande-cambodge-une-carte-tracee-par-les-francais-au-cour-du-conflit-frontalier-20251210#google_vignette

More precisely, it was a Franco-Siamese commission that was tasked with delimiting the border, specifically in the Dangrek Mountains, taking into account the watershed line. This was not done unilaterally, and it’s also important to note that while the Siamese returned these three provinces to the Cambodians (after more than 100 years of occupation), the Cambodians also handed back territories on the southwest border, including the province of Trat. It was only nearly 50 years later that Thailand contested this border, which it had previously validated multiple times.

If we look at the entire complex of Khmer temples at Preah Vihear, the watershed line runs between several sections of the temples: part of it lies south of this line (on the Cambodian side) and another part to the north (on the Thai side if the border had strictly followed the geography). This is easily visible on Google Earth, where altitude is indicated for each pixel. Ideally, access to the temple should be allowed from both sides, one entry per country.

I should also remind everyone that Preah Vihear is sacred to the Khmers (over 90% of the Cambodian population, direct descendants of the builders of these temples), whereas for the Thais, it holds only touristic significance. Many Thai nationalists now claim that their ancestors built it (they invent a kinship with a fictional people, the Khoms, who allegedly enslaved the Khmers to build Angkor and more distant temples like Preah Vihear ), even though the Thais were still in southern China when the Khmers were constructing Prasat Preah Vihear and the other temples in the region!

In short, we’re not out of the woods yet regarding this border!

It’s also worth noting that the border temples, including Preah Vihear, have been heavily damaged by Thai military bombardments in recent days, on top of the damage already caused in July. Unfortunately, it will take a while—after a border agreement is reached—before the temples are restored and reopened to the public.

For now, the fighting is limited to the border provinces, so there’s no immediate danger further inside the country. However, deep strikes have been carried out by the Thai military (a bridge was damaged this morning, apparently in Siem Reap province, which is not a border area, contrary to what the embassy’s statement suggests—though Google Maps places the bridge near Anlong Veng, Oddar Meanchey province). So stay well-informed, because while there’s currently no danger around Siem Reap city and the Angkor temples, where thousands of tourists are present right now, the strikes could affect the northern part of the province.

Hi Kate, we’ll be in Cambodia starting February 1st 😊 after a stay in Vietnam...

Hi Joël

Well, I still don’t know what I’m gonna do 😕 A few friends and I had planned a trip to Bangkok / Laos / Cambodia in January, but given the conflicts (and especially the recent bombings in Siem Reap province), we’re having second thoughts. It’s always easy to play it safe and stay in Laos, but we’ve already paid for 2 flights, a boat reservation, and some hotels aren’t refundable. Plus, war situations aren’t covered by insurance.

Good evening Catherine, we have a friend in Siem Reap, at the Golden Temple. We’ll contact her tonight to keep us updated day by day...

Any news from your end? For my part, I got an email from friends who live in Phnom Penh 🏴‍☠️ The situation is deteriorating—deaths, injuries, displaced people. Khmers are worried and can’t stop talking about this conflict. The vibe isn’t great, and the economy is starting to feel the strain. They ended by saying: « Sorry to be so pessimistic since we were really looking forward to seeing you again, but your safety comes first. I’m not sure what to advise, knowing this isn’t really the right time to visit Cambodia. »

Hi Kate, maybe your bank card service (like Visa) can reimburse you for the fees if you paid for your trip with it. If that’s what you’d like, of course.

Hi Catherine, I just got some news—right now in Siem Reap, there are no security issues in the city or at the temples. I’ll also reach out to a friend who teaches at the French high school in Phnom Penh so she can keep us updated in real time. In Kep, no problems either… stay tuned. We’ll keep each other posted 😊 Have a good afternoon.

Hey Mathews

Yeah, I paid with my Gold card, so I’m “covered.” I haven’t called them yet, but I read that there’s no compensation for trip cancellations due to war.

My flight is from Barcelona to Bangkok round-trip. We’re supposed to spend a few days in Laos, then head to Cambodia, and finally return to Bangkok. So it’s the Cambodia part (12 days) that I’m unsure about…

I just got news—right now in Siem Reap, there are no security issues in the city or at the temples.

A real security problem is a valid reason to cancel a trip, but I don’t think any of us really want to visit a country in such an unstable, on-edge situation. Plus, the atmosphere can’t be very cheerful with all those poor refugees. It doesn’t exactly invite carefree or lighthearted travel!

Of course, we’re staying updated 🙂 Expats probably feel things differently. My boyfriend is actually encouraging us to postpone this Cambodia trip given the general climate…

Latest update: just got a message from our friend in Siem Reap saying there’s a ceasefire imposed by China stepping into the conflict. If the info is confirmed, that’s great news. Stay tuned...