For western visitors, even those who have visited other Asian cities, Phnom Penh can be a bit of a shock. It can be very hot and (in the dry season) dusty, its infrastructure is lacking, and it is very poor - much poorer than, for example, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Visitors who cannot adjust to rubbish-filled streets, constant harassment from tuk tuk drivers and touts, and large numbers of beggars, may not enjoy the city.But things are changing, and Phnom Penh is becoming more pleasant and relaxed, especially over the past four or so years. It is striving to architecturally become more of a 'developed capital', including highrise buildings, while still retaining much of the beauty that made it a Paris of the East before 1970. The city's French colonial buildings are beautiful, so its streetscapes make for a pleasant contrast to the concrete ugliness of Thai cities.Cambodia's Department of Land Management still allows many architectural horrors to be built, though a determined group of Khmer architects is fighting the trend. Unhappily there are few green spaces as yet.Infrastructure is improving - fewer power outages, streets are paved, rubbish is collected more frequently. Beautiful wide boulevards, fine colonial architecture and a parklike riverfront with cafés and restaurants aplenty help make Phnom Penh a worthwhile destination for some. Not necessarily for its standard tourist sights, which are few. But as a place to relax, watch the streetlife and absorb local color, Phnom Penh rates very high among Asian cities. The beggars are still there, along with a great number of street kids and kids selling tourist paraphernalia, but this is most visible in heavily touristed areas. And generally the kids are less aggressive than their Indian or Vietnamese counterparts; though the tuk tuk and moto drivers clap, shout, wave and whistle for your attention in most parts of the city including its back streets, and are not above some hot pursuit when ignored.Intending visitors should be aware that there is no real rule of law in Cambodia. Crimes may or may not be investigated; if perpetrators are wealthy or connected to the government they will often be untouchable by police and courts. This, combined with the capital's high traffic accident rate, makes Phnom Penh a riskier travel destination than most. Some long-term expats lose a friend a year, or more, to crime and traffic. You should also be aware that the courts are corrupt, so contracts are not enforceable.Phnom Penh is becoming more prosperous, but because of corruption and patronage throughout the government and beyond, the economic gains are only enjoyed by a few. The majority of poor are no less poor, despite the recent economic 'boom'. Prime Minister Hun Sen, however, has used his small ministerial salary wisely, acumulating mansions across the country, and even an island off it - an excellent example to his nation of what can be done when one makes an effort to save.Those who find themselves struggling with Phnom Penh's current state should recall the terrible times the city has been through in recent decades. In 1975 it was choked with up to 2 million refugees from the war between the then U.S.-backed government and the Khmer Rouge, and after it fell to the Khmer Rouge, it was completely emptied of civilians and allowed to crumble for the next four years. Most of the small class of skilled professionals were murdered or driven into exile. The city fell to the Vietnamese Army in 1979, but the new Cambodian government had no money to spend on urban improvement until the peace settlement of 1992.As Cambodia's economy has recovered a small, new rich class has arisen in Phnom Penh, and a crop of new hotels and restaurants has opened to accommodate them and the tourist trade; there is now a large gulf between the extremely rich and the extremely poor, largely due to the nation's top-to-bottom corruption. Take a trip to the green-domed Sorya mall and you're transported to the consumerist world to which the emerging middle and upper classes aspire. http://wikitravel.org/en/Phnom Penh