The Asian capital with the Independence Monument commemorating Cambodia’s 1953 independence is Phnom Penh.
Cambodia’s Independence Monument stands in central Phnom Penh at the intersection of Norodom Boulevard and Sihanouk Boulevard. It commemorates the country’s independence from France in 1953 and was built in 1958, five years after independence.
Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann designed the monument at the direction of Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Its lotus-shaped stupa draws on Khmer architectural traditions, including forms associated with the temple of Banteay Srei. The monument rises 37 metres and contains a ceremonial flame.
Bangkok, Hanoi, and Vientiane are plausible regional distractors because each is a nearby national capital with important monuments. Vientiane’s Patuxai is especially easy to confuse with Phnom Penh’s Independence Monument, but it commemorates Laos’s war dead and liberation struggle rather than Cambodia’s independence from France.