Cambodia is a land of beauty with its clear blue waters, white-sand beaches, and not forgetting to mention travelling by Tuk Tuk. The place is a paradise.

But, Cambodia has had some internet censorship issues. It regularly blocks websites that are deemed as damaging to the government, even a national news website was blocked recently, something that I will be covering later in the article.

Along with censorship issues, the Cambodian government likes to monitor everything you do, say, and view online, which is far from ideal.

To prevent this, you will need to use a VPN.

When it comes to choosing a VPN it can be confusing. Luckily, I’ll be making it easy for you.

We’ve tested and researched all the leading VPN services and reduced this list down to the seven best options. All you need to do is choose one.

1. ExpressVPN

When it comes to VPN services, ExpressVPN is the cream of the crop. Their service is perfect for those living in Cambodia and for anyone travelling through the country.

ExpressVPN have some of the fastest connections in the world, which means you won’t be plagued by slow speeds whether you’re in the city or more remote regions.

With servers located in Cambodia, you will be able to find a secure internet connection with a localised IP address all without losing too much speed.

There are also servers in nearby regions that you can connect to if you are looking for a connection that is outside of Cambodia’s jurisdiction such as Thailand, Vietnam, India, Japan, and Australia to name but a few.

ExpressVPN has dedicated apps that can be downloaded for most devices such as Android, Apple, Mac OS, iOS, Linux, Windows, Amazon Fire, and more.

When it comes to your security and privacy, you can rest assured that ExpressVPN has your back. They have a proven no logs policy that has been fully audited, proving they keep no logs whatsoever. This means your data is safe and stays private.

On top of all of this, ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you aren’t fully satisfied with your experience, you can have your money back.

Our #1 VPN for Cambodia

30-day money back guarantee

2. CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost VPN is an excellent VPN provider that has over 6200 servers available for you to connect to.

That is the largest on the market to date. The good news is they have servers in Cambodia.

Seventy-two of these are located in the country so you will not be stuck trying to find a reliable connection point.

With your subscription to CyberGhost VPN, you will be able to connect to 7 devices simultaneously, which is perfect for protecting all of your devices.

Along with a solid reputation and a 45-day money-back guarantee, you can rest assured you have made a good choice by choosing CyberGhost VPN.

3. VyprVPN

VyprVPN prides itself on its ability to provide you with some of the world’s fastest connections that make streaming high-quality video content a dream.

Along with their fast connections to servers, they have proven several times through audits that they don’t store or log your private data which is always a good thing when it comes to VPNs, your privacy is paramount.

With a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to try their service before you are fully committed and an outstanding 24/7 support service, everything is in place to help you get the best experience.

4. NordVPN

NordVPN has built up an excellent reputation for itself over the last eight years.

A stand out feature of NordVPN is your ability to use a dedicated IP address that ensures that you are the only person using that IP.

Along with that, NordVPN also allows you to run your connection through an extra layer of security by changing your IP address twice, making your connection twice as secure.

The only downside with NordVPN is their lack of servers in Cambodia.

However, they do have plenty of servers in nearby Vietnam and Malaysia so finding a connection that is fast and reliable will be the least of your concerns.

The service is trusted by millions of users who can’t be wrong.

5. PrivateInternetAccess

PrivateInternetAccess offers you a fast and reliable no-logs VPN at a very competitive price.

With the ability to connect up to 10 of your devices to the VPN simultaneously and with approximately 2000 server for you to connect to, all of your data will be safe and secure while browsing the internet.

A great feature of PrivateInternetAccess is the ability to pay for your VPN service using gift cards. This means you don’t need to enter any of your billing information such as credit card info, your name, address, etc. So your purchase is completely private.

While a third party hasn’t audited them, they have had several court cases that have proven that they don’t keep logs, which is brilliant news for you.

PrivateInternetAccess has over 10 years of experience in the VPN world, and they are here to stay.

6. VPNCity

VPNCity is a relatively new VPN service that offers you the ability to connect up to 12 devices that you can use concurrently with apps that cover all major devices such as Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome, Fire TV, and Firefox.

They have what they call ‘military-grade’ encryption that will protect you from unsavoury characters, keeping your data safe and secure, and have a strict no-logs policy.

As with NordVPN, they also don’t have servers located in Cambodia as of yet but have plenty in nearby India, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Alongside the other services they have a 30-day money back guarantee to keep you secure.

7. HideMyAss

HideMyAss is a well-known service that has recently added a proven audited no logs policy to their offering. In the past they’ve been accused of handing over details of users in criminal cases.

Couple that with 256 Bit AES encryption that ensures that your private data remains hidden and in your hands and they’ve certainly improved their service.

With over 290+ locations to connect to worldwide and two servers in Cambodia’s Phnom Penh, local coverage isn’t an issue.

It is worth noting that some of the servers used by HideMyAss are virtual locations that are based in another country but use IP addresses of another region.

A pretty cool feature of HideMyAss is their IP Shuffle that allows you to set your VPN to randomise your IP address at intervals of 10mins to 1 day.

They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you are unhappy with their service, you can get your money back no problem.

How we selected our choices

There are lots of factors to consider when choosing a VPN. Selecting one for Cambodia brings in other considerations.

Below are the main criteria we used when selecting the seven providers above.

1. Speed

When it comes to the internet, speed is everything. Gone are the days of painfully slow internet connections, and nobody should ever have to suffer the pain of watching a website load pixel by pixel.

This is why we have used speed as one of the main factors when compiling the list above.

Speed is vital as it ensures that you can access websites quickly and you can watch video content from websites such as Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+ with ease.

A good internet connection is also crucial if you have a web-based business and you need instant access to files from cloud services etc.

So whether you’re in rural Kampot or the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh, you’ll be able to maximise your speed.

2. Location, Location, Location

Location of the servers is another important factor when choosing a VPN. We selected VPNs that have servers located in and around Cambodia, which is essential for internet speed.

When it comes to servers, the closer it is, the faster your connection. So having servers located in Cambodia will give you the fastest connections and keep your data secure.

It will also allow you to access local content that could be blocked outside the country.

However, servers that are located in nearby regions will allow you to bypass any censorship in Cambodia while maintaining a high connection speed.

You may also wish to join servers located in the UK and US so you can have access to their vast Netflix libraries, and access other streaming platforms that are only available in overseas regions.

3. Apps

With the average person using several devices each day to connect to the internet, it is essential to ensure that you are kept safe and secure when switching between devices.

This is why we took a look at what apps each VPN service offered and made sure that they worked on the most popular devices.

Having apps that are easy to set up by simply downloading them from your devices app store is very convenient and prevents you from having to perform a complicated setup.

By choosing VPNs that don’t require you to manually set up the VPN by having to mess around with your connection settings will make your experience a pleasure.

You shouldn’t have to be a tech wiz to set up a VPN, which is why we selected VPNs that are user friendly.

4. No log policy

A VPN that stores your data is a VPN that you should avoid like the plague.

This is why we have ensured that the VPNs in our selection categorically do not store your data and have a no-log policy.

Some of the VPNs in the list have been audited by third parties and have proven their no-log claims. But it is worth noting that not all services have been audited, but some have had court cases that have confirmed that the company keeps none of their user’s data logged.

The above is paramount when it comes to keeping your data safe and secure.

Why you need a VPN in Cambodia

Everyone’s reason for needing a VPN is different.

But, there are some common uses and below we’ve rounded up the top reasons to use a VPN in Cambodia:

1. Bypass censorship

In recent years the Cambodian Government has tightened its grip on the internet and if you are caught posting the wrong thing, you might find yourself in a spot of trouble.

In 2018 a 50-year-old teacher was arrested for posting what was deemed a negative comment about the royal family.

In the same year, media outlets were warned that posting anything negative about the King will result in a 1 to 5-year prison sentence and a whopping $500-$2000 fine, which is a considerable amount in Cambodia (Source: KhmerTimes).

To make matters worse, last year, a new ‘fake news’ law came into practice.

This severely restricts freedom of speech that journalists had and they can no longer post articles that are deemed as “fake” by the government.

Often media outlets will get a request to remove any damaging articles that the government doesn’t like, failure to do so will end in a fine and prison time.

The government has stated, “The ministry will issue a public announcement when it revokes the licences of online or print media outlets that violated the terms of their licences or caused chaos in society by spreading misinformation” (Source: IPI).

Using a VPN is essential if you want to speak freely online.

2. Safety on public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is a hackers favourite hotspot to sit and attempt to steal your data. While the situation has improved over the years with many websites using HTTPS, not all do.

Apps and other services are often impossible to tell if they’re accessing data securely, which means your data could fall into the wrong hands.

This poses a massive security risk for those of you who may be travelling through Cambodia and want to access sensitive data, or even contact your family back home. Having your data stolen while overseas can be a nightmare.

Residents of Cambodia are also at risk, so it pays to stay secure using a VPN.

3. Unlock global content

Some popular sites are currently blocked in Cambodia or not accessible and you will need to use a VPN to access them.

Disney+ is one of them and the UK’s BBC iPlayer. By using a VPN you will be able to unlock content from around the globe, bypassing geo-restrictions.

Like most countries, Cambodia also blocks access to specific websites.

These often include news and media sites but they have been known to restrict access to gaming sites, pornographic sites and even on occasion social media such as Twitter.

4. Stay private

In the modern world, your internet data is worth a lot to advertising companies, by using a VPN and encrypting your browsing data, you will be able to limit targeted advertising and reduce companies following you around the internet.

You will also be keeping hackers at bay by using a VPN, stopping them from accessing your information for malicious intent.

Not only will you be able to prevent ad agencies and hackers from seeing and using your data, but your ISP won’t be able to see what sites you have been accessing. Therefore they won’t be able to pass this information on to the government if they request it.

By keeping your likes/dislikes, and search history private, you’ll be in safe hands with a VPN provider that has a proven no log policy such as the ones mentioned in the above list.

Is using a VPN in Cambodia illegal?

The use of a VPN is perfectly legal in Cambodia.

A VPNs purpose is to encrypt your private internet data out of the hands of companies, governments, and hackers. Basically to keep you safe and secure.

Some countries dislike the fact that you use a VPN, as they want to limit what you can see and want to have control over your internet activity. Countries such as North Korea have made the use of a VPN illegal.

In some countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and Turkmenistan the use of a VPN is discouraged and certain networks will actively try to block the use of a VPN, but they still remain legal to use, just heavily frowned upon.

Is there a free VPN for Cambodia?

While there are many “free” VPN services available for you to use, there are several reason why you should avoid using them.

Slow connections are ubiquitous with free VPN services, and they aren’t very secure either meaning unsavoury characters can more easily access your data. This kind of defeats the purpose of a VPN.

Along with regular data breaches, free VPN services tend to use your connection to power the VPN for other users. This is incredibly dangerous, as any illegal activity performed by others using your connection will lead the authorities straight to your front door.

Avoid free VPNs at all costs, they aren’t worth it. They may cost nothing but the frustration they cause isn’t worth it.

Summary

Suppose you want to avoid the Cambodian Government restrictions such as freedom of speech laws, blocked news sites, access geo-restricted content only available abroad, and to keep your data safe from hackers or advertising companies.

In that case, you will want to use a VPN.

In our research, we found ExpressVPN is the best option for you, with servers located in Cambodia that will ensure you have the fastest connection speeds and a whole host of servers located in nearby regions.

This means you will be able to bypass any restrictions in place in Cambodia.

Along with a 30-day money-back guarantee, we’ve also secured three months free for our readers when taking their 12-month package so be sure to take advantage.