Understanding the Khmer Rouge years without leaving Siem Reap
Wat Thmey is an active Buddhist pagoda on the road from Siem Reap to Angkor Wat that was used by the Khmer Rouge as a place of detention and killing between 1975 and 1979. Today it is Siem Reap's main memorial to the victims, with a memorial stupa holding their remains and a small photo exhibition. Entry has traditionally been free, with donations welcome, and a visit takes 30 minutes to an hour.
September 2026
Photo: Hzh, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Wat Thmey is a working Buddhist pagoda on the road from Siem Reap to Angkor Wat, and the town’s memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge. During the regime of 1975 to 1979 the pagoda was used as a place of detention and killing. Today a memorial stupa holds the remains of victims, and a small exhibition tells the story of those years in Siem Reap.
Most visitors to Siem Reap come for the temples and leave without ever touching the country’s recent past. Wat Thmey is a short stop, and a quiet one, but it changes how many people see the rest of their trip. The monks, the schoolchildren and the Cambodians you meet over the following days all live with this history, and a half-hour here helps you understand that.
On 17 April 1975 the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia. Over the next three years and eight months, between 1.5 and 2 million people died from execution, forced labour, starvation and disease. Cities were emptied, religion was banned, and pagodas across the country were closed, damaged or turned to other uses.
Estimates of how many people died at Wat Thmey vary, and the true number will probably never be known. Those who were held here came from Siem Reap and the surrounding villages: farmers, teachers, former soldiers and officials, monks and their families.
The site is small and simple. There are no ticket barriers or audio guides, and the information boards are basic. What matters is the setting: a living pagoda where the memorial stands a few steps from the classrooms and the monks’ quarters.
A red and gold memorial stupa in the courtyard. Behind its glass panels are the skulls and bones of victims recovered nearby. It is the centre of the site and a place of prayer.
A photo exhibition prepared with the Documentation Center of Cambodia, showing the forced evacuations and the life of ordinary people under the regime.
A series of paintings telling the story of a man held and tortured here who survived. Some scenes are distressing.
A marked well where remains were found, beside the prayer hall and monastery buildings that are in daily use again.
Some of the displays describe and depict violence directly. Adults can decide for themselves how closely to look. With children, it is worth walking ahead and choosing what to share.
One of the few people known to have survived imprisonment at Wat Thmey is Sum Rithy. He was brought here in 1976 as a young man and was kept alive because of his skill as a mechanic. He later wrote a memoir, Surviving the Genocide in the Land of Angkor.
For many years he has often been at the pagoda to talk with visitors and sign copies of his book. Whether you meet him on a given day is a matter of chance, and it is best treated as a privilege rather than something to plan around. If you do meet him, listening is the most important thing you can do.
Young monks and students at Wat Thmey sometimes ask visitors to practise English with them. It is a friendly custom, not a sales pitch. A few minutes of conversation is a gentle way to end a difficult visit, and a reminder of the country’s recovery.
| Opening hours | Daily, in daylight hours, usually from early morning to about 6:00 pm; confirm locally |
|---|---|
| Entry | Traditionally free; a donation to the pagoda is appreciated. Some visitors report a small fee, so carry a few dollars |
| Time needed | 30 minutes to an hour |
| Guides | No official guide service; a private guide gives valuable context |
| Children | Some displays are graphic and unsuitable for young children |
Wat Thmey is first of all a place of worship and a grave. Please treat it with the same respect you would give a cemetery at home.
Wat Thmey is on the road from Siem Reap town to Angkor Wat, on the northern edge of town. From the Old Market or Pub Street it is a 5 to 10 minute tuk-tuk ride, and PassApp and Grab both work well. Many travellers stop here on the way back from the temples. The Angkor National Museum is also on the way to the temples, and the two fit easily into one afternoon.
If you are also travelling to Phnom Penh, you will have the chance to visit the two most important memorials in the country: the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) and the Choeung Ek killing fields. Since 2025 both have been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They tell the story on a national scale, in far more depth.
Wat Thmey is not a substitute for them, but it matters in its own right. It shows that the killing was not confined to the capital, and that every town and district has its own memorial. If Siem Reap is your only stop in Cambodia, it is a respectful and honest way not to leave the subject out.
In Siem Reap, the War Museum Cambodia covers the wider decades of conflict, from the civil war to the last Khmer Rouge holdouts in the 1990s.
On our private tours, a Cambodian guide can take you to Wat Thmey and share the context the displays leave out, at a pace that suits you. We add it to Siem Reap stays such as our Siem Reap Slow Travel, and pair it with Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek on journeys that include Phnom Penh, like our Phnom Penh & Angkor Discovery. Get in touch and we will plan it with care.
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