Three things to keep in mind when using Google Maps in Cambodia

When you have a dinner with your friends, I think you share the restaurant location by using the Google Maps URL.

In Cambodia, sometimes the place will be shared with the street name where the restaurant is located.

In such a case I will check the actual location on Google Maps, but there are two pitfalls when using Google Maps in Cambodia.
In this column, I will introduce the pitfalls when using Google Maps in Cambodia and the solution to use Google Maps properly in Cambodia.

What are the two traps when using Google Maps in Cambodia?

The first trap when you use Google Maps in Cambodia is “A place different from the destination will be displayed”.
When you search the street name on Google Maps to check where you will meet your friends, sometimes a place far apart from the original destination is displayed.

I think that it is easier to understand if I show the actual example, so I embed the video ‘When I was invited by my friend, “Let’s have lunch at Marugame Udon on Street 63, Phnom Penh” and checked the location of Marugame Udon on Google Maps’.

Please check it first.

The actual location of Marugame Udon is here.

The location displayed when I searched “Street 63 phnom penh” is this.

When I searched “Street 63 phnom penh” on Google Maps like this, instead of Street 63 where Marugame Udon really exists and which I want to display, another Street 63 is displayed.

The reason is that some streets in the center of Phnom Penh are given specific names.
Street 63 where Marugame Udon exists is named “Preah Trasak Paem”. It seemed that this caused Street 63 in the suburbs displayed preferentially instead of Street 63 where Marugame Udon exists.

The second trap when you use Google Maps in Cambodia is “Pins are not placed in the right place”. I will explain what happens to those who do not get the point of it.

In Google Maps, users can add new places or edit the information of existing places. Because of this feature, the problem happens that the pin moves to a different place from the right place.

Marugame Udon which I used as the example above had been displayed in the wrong place temporarily. I suggested “The location is wrong. The right location is here” to Google and now the pin of Marugame Udon is put on the right location though, when those who have never visited try to visit there following the location information of the wrong pin, they can not reach. This is the second trap.

You may think that you can do nothing if the location being displayed by searching by address is incorrect and the location of the pin being displayed by searching by name is also incorrect.

I have lived in Cambodia more than 3 years, I could reach my destination every time. Even there are such traps, Google Maps is very convenient in Cambodia.
So, how I avoid these two traps and use Google Maps in Cambodia. I’ll explain the way to avoid traps on Google Maps in the next paragraph.

Avoiding traps, the way to use Google Maps in Cambodia

The important thing to reach your destination with Google Maps in Cambodia is to use Google Maps following three things below.

1. Search not by address but by name of your destination
2. Check with the official information to see if the position of the displayed pin is correct
3. Make a note of the address and phone number then depart

1. Search not by address but by name of your destination
As I described in the first trap, in Cambodia sometimes the wrong place will be displayed when you search by address.

The next video is the screen when I searched for “marugame udon phnom penh” on Google Maps.

The destination Marugame Udon is properly displayed.
Searching not by address or street number but by the destination name. This is the first point.

2. Check with the official information to see if the position of the displayed pin is correct
Even if you search by your destination name, it happens that the pin displayed is put on the wrong location as I described above. When you don’t know whether the location of the pin is correct, let’s compare it with official information.

Visiting Official page of Marugame Udon, I found the address as below.

#189, Street 63, Phum 2, Sangkat Beoung Keng Kang 1, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The pin displayed by searching for “marugame udon phnom penh” is on Street 63 in Beoung Keng Kang 1, so I confirmed that the pin displayed on Google Maps was put on the right location.

3. Make a note of the address and phone number then depart

If you use Google Maps keeping these two points, you can reach your destination with almost no problem but for the time you get lost in the unlikely event, you should write down the address and phone number before departure.

If you use Google Maps keeping these three points, you can move comfortably within Cambodia without problems.

If your destination is not registered on Google Maps like your friend house, you have to search by address. In such case, you should ask your friend to see the location displayed on your Google Maps and check whether it is correct. Don’t forget to make a note of address and phone number in this case too.

Summary

When you use Google Maps in Cambodia, “Search not by address but by name of your destination”, ”Check with the official information to see if the position of the displayed pin is correct”, ”Make a note of the address and phone number then depart”, these three points are important.

If you just keep these three points, you can move within Cambodia without getting lost.

Compared to developed countries, the security in Cambodia is worse, so there is a danger of getting snatched when you check out Google Maps with a smartphone on the roadside.

So I strongly recommend you that “check the destination in advance, put the movement route in your head, and do not put out the smartphone while moving”.

If you get lost and need to check out Google Maps on the way, you should take a distance from the traffic lane and stay alert.

This is the advice from me who have experience that iPhone was snatched while using Google Maps outside.

Become afraid to stay in Phnom Penh? You can check the 6 tips to stay in Phnom Penh safely on the following article. If you want to know the security and safety information of Phnom Penh, check it out.

The 6 Points to live safely in Phnom Penh