Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh (population 550,000) is the capital of Cambodia. Located in the southwest of the country, at the Mekong river, the city was built in the 14th century.

During the Vietnam War on November 11, 1967, three American prisoners of war were released by the Viet Cong in Phnom Penh and turned over to "new left" antiwar activist Tom Hayden.

The Khmer Rouge forces attacked the city and its airport on November 10, 1971, which killed 44, wounded at least 30 and damaged nine airplanes. During the rule of the Khmer Rouge and Democratic Kampuchea the city was emptied of its inhabitants. It was also home to the S-21 prison camp, which was a prison camp for detention and torture of Cambodians.

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