2001 – Start In February 2001 the Siem Reap War Museum was built on more than 2 hectares of land, just off National Road 6 between the airport and the city center of Siem Reap. 2008 – Visits drop off For 12 years the Siem Reap War Museum was neglected and deteriorating rapidly. The museum was facing a battle to stay open in the face of mass desertion by tourists: visitor numbers had dwindled to about 20 a day. 2013 – New beginning In 2013 a new general manager was appointed and the name of the museum was changed from Siem Reap War Museum into War Museum Cambodia. Although the museum was badly damaged by a powerful small tornado on the 18th of May 2015, over the years many improvements were made and new visitor records were achieved: the museum had definitely been put on the map. 2016 – Rebuilding In 2016 the rebuilding of the whole museum had started, beginning with the new Landmine House in the back of the museum which was finally opened in 2018.
Collections
The War Museum Cambodia has a unique collection. Since 1999 the collection on display was gathered from where fighting took place. It is a mix of Chinese, U.S. and Soviet hardware. Before used in Cambodia, some of these war machines have even seen action during World War II. The museums collection is invaluable as most war relics have been sold for scrap. People have been gathering and selling such equipment because they got good money for scrap metal. For a tank they could have received $300 to $400 at least. Competition from scrap dealers was not the only problem the museum faced as it gathered its collection: most of the machinery was very heavy and it was difficult to gain access to dense jungle areas to remove the items. Over the years the collection was supplemented by Western private individuals like military collector Geoffrey Oldham, furthermore some artifacts were given to the museum by the General Manager who found some of these artifacts during visits to several remote villages. To preserve the unique collection for posterity Project Preservation was launched in 2015, certain artifacts were brought back in the original state, from other artifacts the rust was removed and they were being oiled. There is a vast array of vehicles, artillery, weaponry and equipment on display. You will be able to see e.g. war machines like the tank T-54, the jet fighter aircraft MiG-19, the helicopter Mil Mi-8 and the fieldartillery gun 85-mm divisional gun D-44. There is also a broad range of uniforms, flags as well as rare photographs from the defining period on display.
