🇰🇭 Vol.9: What Everyday Scenery Reveals About Changing Consumption and Health Awareness in Cambodia
Series Cambodia Today: Insights from Vietnam's Neighbor
Starting March 5, 2026, KBC-LINK continues its series, 'Cambodia Today,' designed for our readers in Vietnam.
Written by the head of a Japanese Desk at a local bank with six years of residency, this series offers authentic, on-the-ground perspectives—from professional financial insights to the realities of daily life.
Since March 5, 2026, the KBC-LINK editorial team has been publishing a series for Japanese residents of Vietnam, sharing what is happening right now in neighboring Cambodia. This is Part 9.
We hear from a Japan Desk representative at a bank who has worked in Cambodia for six years. Her perspective covers both work and daily life.
I am now in my sixth year of living in Cambodia. After a long stay, scenes that surprised me at first gradually become ordinary, but every so often a moment makes me think, “Oh, this has changed.” Lately, I have felt it most in the drinks sold at supermarkets and shops, and in the advertising billboards around the city.
Have the Prizes Under the Pull Tabs Disappeared?
When I first came to Cambodia, one thing that struck me at the beverage shelves was the system of prizes under the pull tabs of cans. Beer, energy drinks, and other cans carried prizes such as “a free extra can” printed under the tab, and there were campaigns offering grand prizes like motorbikes. Just buying a drink came with a bit of the fun of a lottery. And it was not simply a free item: you took the winning pull tab to the shop and paid an extra 700 to 1,000 riel (about 25 to 35 yen, or roughly US$0.17 to $0.25) to exchange it for a new can, a rule that was uniquely Cambodian and rather fun.
Then, from October 2026, prize-based promotions for alcohol and sugary drinks were banned. The ban covers not only pull tabs but also prizes offered through scratch cards and QR codes. When I went to the shops in October, the prize markings were gone from cans that used to carry them, and I no longer saw the distinctive thrill of opening a pull tab. It was striking how the way products I had always seen were sold changed completely at a certain point.
Giant Billboards Switch from Beer to “Water”
A similar change is happening in the city’s scenery. Moving around central Phnom Penh and along the main roads, you see large billboard advertisements everywhere. Until recently, beer ads of every brand occupied many prominent spots, and they caught the eye wherever you drove.
Lately, though, I have noticed ads for “water” in those same places. The manufacturer names and brand logos are familiar, but the product advertised is no longer beer: it has changed to bottled water or soft drinks. When I looked into it, I learned that the government is leading an effort to reduce alcohol advertising, mainly on large roadside billboards. What I find interesting is that the billboards themselves are not being removed. Instead, the beer-making companies are replacing the ads with their own products, such as water, so the billboard space continues to be used. I used to pass these billboards without a thought, but knowing the background, looking at the city has become rather fun, as the companies’ ingenuity and the changes in the city come into view.
▶ Article published in 2024 (Phnom Penh Post, in English) https://phnompenhpost.com/national/new-regulations-tighten-control-over-alcohol-advertising/
My Own Life, and the Changing City
The restrictions on prizes and advertising are said to aim at preventing excessive drinking and protecting people’s health. While I notice these changes around me, my own way of spending days off has also shifted little by little. Compared with when I first arrived, going to Pilates, which I introduced in an earlier installment of this series, and playing pickleball have become a regular part of my life.
People exercise for different reasons, but for me it is also a chance to step away from work and refresh, and to meet new people. It has become an important time for me.
What Small Changes Reveal
When we think of change in a country, we tend to picture tall buildings going up and roads being built. But I feel it is not only that. The packaging of products I always buy changes, prizes that used to be taken for granted disappear, a different product appears on a roadside billboard. Behind such small everyday changes, national policy, corporate strategy, and changes in how people live are all at work.
As someone who works in Cambodia, and as someone who lives in this city, I want to keep enjoying these familiar changes and keep observing the country’s “now.”
Iida-san's Local Cambodia Tips:
■ Cambodia Japanese Association’s Bon Odori Festival Draws About 2,000 Visitors
On October 18, the 18th Bon Odori (Obon dance) festival, hosted by the Japanese Association in Cambodia, was held at AEON 3. Attendance was reportedly around 2,000, and the venue was lively throughout.
Iida-san spent the day helping at a booth selling takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Busy at the booth, there was no time to look around the venue, and only one photo was taken. Not having captured the yagura tower or the stage is a small regret, we are told.
Now in its 18th year, the festival is a regular event for Cambodia’s Japanese community. It seems to have been a day to experience a touch of a Japanese summer in a foreign land.
▶ Scenes from the day https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J7mQ25W6U/
KBC-LINK Featured News: Reading Cambodia's Economy Today, with Iida-san of ABA Bank's Japanese Desk
■ Alcohol Ads Now Required to Carry Health Messages
In Cambodia, alcohol advertisements are required to include educational messages about the dangers of drinking. The next time you look at a billboard, try paying attention not only to the product promotion but also to these messages. You may get a sense of how far the regulation has spread.
■ Alcohol Billboards in Phnom Penh Nearly Halved in Just Over Two Years
We looked into it: the number of billboards advertising alcohol in Phnom Penh has fallen by about 49%, from 1,026 in July 2024 to 521 in October 2026. The figures were announced by the Minister of Information on October 28, at the launch of the second “Goodwill Campaign,” which strengthens controls on advertising for alcohol and sugary drinks. The news backs up, in numbers, the change in billboards that Iida-san noticed in this installment.
▶ Read the full article (Phnom Penh Post, in English)
Author Profile
Asami Iida
Based in Cambodia for 6 years
Japanese Desk, ABA Bank
Supporting Japanese individuals and companies expanding into Cambodia. From financial operations to everyday life, she shares insights into Cambodia’s evolving landscape from both professional and personal perspectives.
Contact
ABA Bank Japanese Desk
Next Episode (Vol.10)
Next month, Iida-san, a banker in Cambodia, will be back with a “???” of her own. Look forward to finding out what the theme will be!
Editor’s Note
This article is a contributed piece.
For detailed procedures and financial inquiries, please refer to official channels of the respective institutions.
Comments