The French left their mark in Phnom Penh from the 19th century until the 1940’s with many French style buildings such as Phsar Thom Thmei, Hotel Le Royal and French churches and boulevards. Phnom Penh was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina in the 1920’s, hence the name ‘Pearl of Asia’. Several French colonial buildings still remain today, either renovated or in disrepair, both being part of Phnom Penh’s identity.
