Once regarded as the “jewel of Asia,” Cambodia’s capital has since become a byword for sprawl and shambolic planning. A map of central Phnom Penh from a French guidebook published by Hachette in 1926.

The Cambodian capital is blossoming into one of Southeast Asia's most captivating cities.

Phnom Penh is a city on the move – upwards. But although the increasing number of upscale sky bars afford a bird’s-eye view of the ever rising skyline, it’s the Cambodian capital’s backstreets where ...