As seen by the New York Times back then.

Without Prince, Sihanoukville's Fate Is Uncertain
By GLORIA EMERSONAPRIL 6, 1970
April 6, 1970, Page 8 The New York Times Archives

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, April 2—The future of this small seaport, which Prince Norodom Silhanouk named after himself and tried to make into a Riviera‐like resort, is not a cheerful one.

For Sihanoukville is a sym bol of the impulsive Prince who was deposed as head of state last month and its existence embarrasses the new regime.

Sihanoukville could be con sidered Cambodia's curiosity. Nothing else in the country speaks so clearly of the flam boyant, funny, rather French tastes of the 47‐year‐old Prince. Sihanoukville is also a remind er of the Prince's fondness for dramatic economic investments, which his opponents feel have hurt this country.

In the white luxury hotel on Kompong Son Bay, which the royal Government owned, only two of the 44 air‐condi tioned rooms were occupied today. The Hotel Independence has 70 employes, wall‐to‐wall carpeting in its rooms, and tiled bathrooms with blue bath tubs imported from Paris. A room costs about $10 a night.

‘It Is Rather Sad’

“There are no guests,” waiter in the deserted hotel restaurant said in French. “April and May used to be good months. We are waiting to see what happens. At this moment, madame, it is rather sad, is it not?”
Continue reading the main story

Sihanoukville, which the royal Goxernment created more than 10 years ago, still looks as though its houses and shops had been plucked from someplace else and hurriedly put down here. It is estimated that 10,000 people live in and close to it.
https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/06/arch ... rtain.html

Love it. It was in at least one of his movies and he was driving the 67 RS or SS Camaro. I think it was red with the white band around the nose.

Looking back at 1970, those were the good times.


In the year 2070 they will referring back to the year 2020 and repeating what a waiter said,,,,


“There are no guests,” waiter in the deserted hotel restaurant said in French. “April and May used to be good months. We are waiting to see what happens. At this moment, madame, it is rather sad, is it not?”

A story on Kep would have been much more interesting. But at least the Khmer Rouge used the Independence, as an HQ and covered the pool with corrugated iron and imprisoned people there.
Sihanouk must have had a villa there like he did in Kep, anyone know where it was?