Following a horrendous four years under the ‘rule’ of the Khmer Rouge from 1975 onwards, the city of Phnom Penh finally began to repopulate and recover in 1979 when the Vietnamese arrived to liberate it. Fast forward a few years, and today Cambodia’s capital is a buzzing hub that’s fascinating to explore. Obviously much of its history is heart-breaking - the S-21 prison and infamous Killing Fields are definitely worth seeing - but it’s very much a city that’s full of joy these days. Set on the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap, its riverfronts are lovely to walk along; its French-Indonesian architecture crumbling yet beautiful.