Koh Pich, or "Diamond Island" in English, is a

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

, capital of

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

. Koh Pich faces the Boeng Keng Kang I district and is surrounded by the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

and Bassac rivers. Linked by bridges, the

man-made island An artificial island or man-made island is an island that has been constructed by humans rather than formed through natural processes. Other definitions may suggest that artificial islands are lands with the characteristics of human interventi ...

is connected to downtown Phnom Penh. Today, Koh Pich hosts some of

’s tallest buildings such as the GIA tower, Diamond Bay Garden, Diamond Twin Tower, Morgan tower and Casa By Meridian.

History

Toponymy

Koh Pich (, ) translates as Diamond Island in English.

First settlements

Koh Pich was formed due to the buildup of slit from the changing river flows of the Bassac and

river, creating a 800-meter wide island.

Early developments

In the early 2000s, the area was a swamp land with a small community of fishing families settled on the island. By 2004, the

Government of Cambodia The politics of Cambodia are defined within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the king serves as the head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. In practice, Cambodia is an authoritarian state, as power i ...

gave permission to a local conglomerate, Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC Group), to develop the island into a commercial and residential hub.

Commercial and residential developments

Since 2006, Koh Pich hosts high-rise projects, including apartment complexes, residential homes, office buildings, commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, entertainment areas, parks, wedding halls, a theater, and convention halls. A neighborhood named "Elysée" has a style inspired by

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Drone view of Koh Pich and downtown Phnom Penh

Almost all of the island is in

Chamkar Mon Section Chamkar Mon (, meaning 'Mulberry Farm') is the southernmost district in central Phnom Penh, Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is ...

Pedestrian Zone

Koh Pich features a riverside promenade, as well as

traffic sign Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones. Later, signs with directional arms were introduc ...

sidewalk A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English, South African English), or footpath (Hiberno-English, Irish English, Indian English, Australian English, New Zealand English) is a path along the side of a road. Usually constr ...

s, and roads.

Education

The Canadian International School of Phnom Penh has its main campus in Koh Pich; this campus opened in 2015. The EFI (Ecole Française Internationale) is a French international school that opened in 2016. It is located in Koh Pich, where it shares a campus with the Canadian International School of Phnom Penh.

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...

is the first British university to open its campus in Cambodia, it opened its doors in 2024, with its main campus in Koh Pich.

Parks and green spaces

Koh Pich features green spaces and parks such as Coconut Park, Treellion Park and Elysée Garden. Koh Pich is home to Aquation Office Park, a green complex of workspaces, stores, arts and entertainment, located in Treellion Park.https://cbre.com.kh/properties/aquation-office-park-grade-c-office-for-lease-rent-koh-pich-sangkat-tonle-basak-khan-chamkar-mon-phnom-penh-cambodia/#:~:text=Aquation%20Office%20Park%20is%20a,C%20office%20space%20for%20lease.&text=Aquation%20is%20a%20green%20complex,the%20centre%20of%20the%20city.

Gallery

File:KohPich2018-2.jpg, File:KohPich2018-9.jpg, File:KohPich2018-8.jpg, File:Sangkat Tonle Basak, Phnom Penh, Cambodia - panoramio (2).jpg, File:KohPichCityHall-2017-2.jpg, File:Elysée,_Diamond_Island.jpg

The 2010 accident

The

Phnom Penh stampede The Phnom Penh crowd crush occurred on 22 November 2010 when 347 people were killed and another 755 injured during a crowd crush (historically referred to as a "stampede") at the Water Festival celebrations on the Diamond Gate Bridge of Diamon ...

was a deadly stampede that occurred during the

Water Festival Water festivals are vibrant celebrations that occur across the globe, often marking the start of a new year or season. These festivals are deeply rooted in cultural and religious traditions, and they showcase the importance of water as a life ...

at Diamond Island in

. It resulted in 347 people being killed and at least 755 being injured.

References

External links

Project for the island

A film
{{Phnom Penh Islands of Cambodia Planned communities in Cambodia