Phum Oudem

Clutching Grandma Penh’s hand, we entered the bustling heart of Phnom Penh. Phum Oudem, our destination, was nestled within this vibrant city. Phnom Penh, once a humble fishing village, held a special place in Grandma Penh’s heart. “Did you know, little one,” she began, her eyes twinkling, “Phnom Penh wasn’t always the capital? Long ago, the Khmer Empire’s heart beat in Angkor, far to the north.” I listened, captivated, as she wove tales of a wealthy widow, also named Penh. This widow, she said, found four bronze Buddha statues inside a floating koki tree. She then built a shrine on a hill to house them, a hill that would lend its name to the future capital. “That shrine, child, is Wat Phnom,” Grandma Penh explained, “and ‘Phnom’ means ‘hill’ in Khmer.” King Ponhea Yat, after Angkor fell to invaders, moved the capital to this very spot, near Penh’s hill. He named it Krong Chaktomuk, the “City of Four Faces,” because of the meeting of four rivers. This was in 1434. Phum Oudem, now part of the sprawling city, likely began as a small cluster of homes outside the original city walls. As Phnom Penh blossomed, particularly under French colonial rule, places like Phum Oudem became absorbed into its fabric. Phnom Penh, once known as the “Pearl of Asia,” became a hub of trade and commerce. Textiles, pharmaceuticals, rice milling – these were some of the industries that thrived. But then came the Khmer Rouge, and their devastating reign. Phum Oudem, like the rest of Phnom Penh, was emptied. Its people were forced into the countryside. It wasn’t until 1979, when Vietnamese forces liberated the city, that people slowly began to return. Today, Phnom Penh pulses with life again. Phum Oudem, though a small piece of its vast tapestry, holds within it echoes of the city’s rich and sometimes tragic past.