When I found the Factory Phnom Penh online I was intrigued with the idea. A former Levi’s garment plant, some might say sweatshop, has been converted to a modern mixed-use campus. There is not a lot of information online about what to expect when you reach the site. The overall impression on the Phnom Penh Factory website is of a co-working space with a heavy focus on the arts, cafes, retail, and live events all in one bustling location.
Cambodia has always been a very poor country, and a great deal of poverty remains today. The genocide of the Khmer Rouge has a long reach across generations. But while the jungles and countryside in Cambodia are slow to develop, parts of the capital are racing toward modernity. The fancy cars of diplomats can be seen on the streets and there is no shortage of luxury goods available in the malls around the city center. The goal of Factory Phnom Penh is to claim a place on the cutting edge of digital culture and international entrepreneurship. (Open in new tab for full size images.)
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Does Instagram Match Factory’s Reality?
In most cities a co-working space would not be high on the list of tourist attractions to visit. It is puzzling why a place of business would be welcoming people to just come in and wander around. But with a heavy focus on arts and creativity, it seemed like this would be an interesting proposition for strolling around for an hour, maybe having something to drink or a bite to eat as well.
Unfortunately the execution so far at Phnom Penh Factory does not measure up to its ambitious goals. It has everything they say it has, but there is a lot less of it than you would imagine. For the very large size of the place there were not very many offices or people working when I visited on a weekday. Without that critical mass of workers on site the food and beverage options are limited. There’s a sort of basic coffee shop near the main office complex and a small spot for light lunches outside. But Phnom Penh Factory is missing the dining and happy hour options that could really take it to the next level or make it a destination for people not working there.
I expected more of a retail component with locally made goods available to browse and buy, and that would be a great addition here but it is missing at the present time. The art aspect seems limited to decoration of the campus with murals and such. Factory is said to have galleries, but I didn’t see any indication of them. I don’t think they were open during my visit at least. This is probably a pretty cool place to stage an event, and posters are up advertising things like film screenings. But there was nothing happening during my visit. There are no recurring events or anything listed on the website’s events tab.
A Lot of Empty Space…
My overall impression of Phnom Penh Factory is that it’s a great concept and a nice adaptive re-use of the space. Unfortunately it is modern enough that it is waiting for the rest of Phnom Penh to catch up with it. There are not enough tenants or activity to make this place truly of interest to visitors. Most of the spaces feel abandoned. A boxing ring sits empty in one area on a permanent basis. They’ve installed basketball courts, but they sort of struck me as a cheap way to turn a lot of negative unused space into an “amenity.”
There are bicycles available in the common areas to pedal around the complex, which is a neat holdover from the actual factory days. The bikes look sad and disused lined up along the factory walls.
The location within the city of Phnom Penh Factory isn’t doing it any favors. It is a few kilometers away from the city center and all of the international business and retail there. You can reach it in a tuk-tuk ride, but I sat in a considerable amount of traffic on my visit. The road where it is located is in a sort of in-between district where it is becoming less a city street and more of a four lane highway. There is nowhere of interest to walk around Factory and nothing to see nearby.
While I hope this place can thrive in the future, and I was glad to get to see it for myself, I would not recommend a visit here to other travelers. There is just not enough to see or do for a tourist.
