Malls, high rise buildings transforming ex-ghost city Phnom Penh

[PHNOM PENH] FROM glitzy malls and high-rise flats to five-star hotels, a luxury building boom in Phnom Penh is transforming a capital once reduced to a ghost town into one of Asia's fastest growing cities.

Inside the recently opened Aeon Mall in the heart of Phnom Penh, Cambodia's first mega shopping centre, shoppers and curious residents flock to see the latest Levi's and Giordano handbags, snapping selfies in front of a giant Christmas tree.

It is a common scene across much of South-east Asia but was previously unimaginable for many in Cambodia where around 20 per cent of people still live on less than US$1.25 per day.