AKP Phnom Penh, October 9, 2026 --

Whenever a new road opens in Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Manet often repeats a familiar phrase: “Where there is a road, there is Hope.” The words are simple, yet they capture much of Cambodia’s development journey over the past several decades.

Roads bear witness to peace. Years of conflict once left roads severed and bridges destroyed, cutting some areas off for long stretches of time. Today, new roads are reaching across the country: from the capital to the ports, from the central plains to the borders. The changing road network mirrors Cambodia’s own path from conflict to peace, and from isolation to connectivity.

Roads lay the foundation for development. Since the Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville Expressway opened, travel time between the two cities has fallen sharply, strengthening logistics links between the country’s two leading economic hubs. In July 2026, an upgraded section of National Road No. 7 in Kampong Cham was officially opened, further improving local transport and logistics. In August, three road sections linking central and northeastern Cambodia were inaugurated, with a combined length of 98.405 kilometres. Meanwhile, the Phnom Penh–Bavet Expressway, once completed, is expected to further strengthen Cambodia’s domestic transport network and its links with regional markets. Every new kilometre of road helps connect factories, ports, farms and markets.

Roads are also a gateway to the world. Those that reach the borders open the way to larger regional markets. In June 2026, Cambodia and Laos launched a new overland route for shipping Cambodian agricultural products to China via Laos. The first four containers of durians have already set off, and bananas, mangoes, rice, Pailin longan and cassava can also reach the Chinese market along this route. Initiatives such as the “Industrial Development Corridor” and the “Fish and Rice Corridor” are turning roads from mere transport infrastructure into vital links between industries, markets and regional economies.

A Chinese saying goes, “If you want to get rich, build roads first.” It expresses a simple truth: wherever roads reach, people, goods and opportunities begin to flow. The same holds true in Cambodia today. Roads cannot solve every problem a country faces, but they can shorten the distance between people, between cities and villages, and between producers and markets, opening up new opportunities for development.

From rural roads to expressways linking ports, and on to cross-border routes linking neighbouring countries, Cambodia is steadily closing these distances. The roads keep extending, and new connections keep taking shape. For a country still on its development journey, the true meaning of “Where there Is a road, there Is hope” may lie in the possibilities each new road creates: wider access to markets, closer ties with the world, and better lives for its people.

Cambodia is still building roads, and it is still on its way.

By Freya Song, Special Correspondent for Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP)