Photographer in Phnom Penh

Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Yann Bigant is a photographer and drone pilot covering social and environmental issues in still photographs and video for nonprofits, media outlets and commercial clients.

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Commuters in Kandal wait for the ferry back to Phnom Penh. To the left, a bridge under construction links Koh Pich with Koh Norea, two islands on the Mekong created through land reclamation.

Home to nearly a fifth of the country’s population, the Cambodian capital sits at the confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Tonle Bassac rivers. Rapid economic growth in recent years led to a wide range of social, environmental and even cultural issues.

Phnom Penh during Khmer New Year, Cambodia
(top) The 1960s Cambodiana hotel with the unfinished Gold Tower at the back, and the Daun Penh neighborhood south of Wat Phnom, the historical center of the city; (bottom) the Royal Palace seen from a ferry across the Mekong with the Sathapana tower, a microfinance institution accused of predatory loan practices, and commuters crossing the river with the recent skyline of the city in the background.

Phnom Penh’s construction boom

Boosted by real estate speculation and the need for better infrastructures, Cambodia has been going through a building rush. Yet many condominiums now stand empty and several projects remain unfinished while peripheral and river communities still live in squalid conditions.

The still low-rise central neighborhood of Daun Penh in the vicinity of the Royal Palace. The 1930s Art Deco dome of the Central Market can be seen in the center.
Abandoned building under construction in Boeung Trabek, Phnom Penh
Real estate and infrastructure projects across Phnom Penh and its rapidly changing skyline.
Sand dredging barges and Cham fishermen on the Mekong with the real estate projects of Chroy Changvar in the background (left) ; Riverbank communities in Chhbar Ampov across the Tonle Bassac (right).

Architectural heritage under threat

During the post-independence era, a wave of Cambodian architects led by Vann Molyvann were tasked with designing many public buildings for the kingdom and established the distinctive New Khmer Architecture style. While many are still in use today, several of its most iconic masterpieces were demolished in recent years.

Phnom Penh's Cambodiana hotel
The 1960s Hotel Cambodiana by the Mekong.
Prime examples of New Khmer Architecture: Vann Molyvann’s Institute of Foreign Languages (1-2) and 100 Houses project (3-4).
In late 2025 and early 2026, the Angkor Mean Chey building and the former US embassy, heritage masterpieces of the 1950-60s, were demolished after decades of neglect.

Relentless urban expansion

Phnom Penh is built over a floodplain consisting of many lakes and wetlands that have been filled for over a century up to this day, with many communities evicted in the process and the disappearance of habitat for waterbirds and other wetland biodiversity.

Phnom Penh expansion onto surrounding wetlands
Phnom Penh’s horizontal growth at the expense of surrounding wetlands.
Phnom Penh | 2023 | Collaborations | Tags: , , , , | Comments (0)