Kampot has been an active settlement for centuries but the location and layout of the modern town was established during the French colonial period in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. Many of the buildings in the south half of town along and near the river were constructed during this period. Though suffering a bit from the ravages of time, the architecture of Kampot is pleasantly provincial, a mix of red tile-roofed shophouses and old French colonial government buildings.

The south end of town harbors several European-style buildings including the old governor’s mansion (now the Kampot Museum) and the colonial prison. Most of the other colonial era buildings employ the classic 2-storey ‘Chinese shophouse’ design, many displaying European design elements. Unlike many other Cambodian cities, the shophouses are often individuated in design and facade, lending to Kampot’s quaint air.

The old architecture of Kep is also of note, though more for its state than architectural interest. Sea and mountainside villas, constructed in from 1930s to 1960s, were abandoned during the war years and most now sit deteriorating, the remains of a different time. As the Kep area has developed in recent years, the old villas are slowly being destroyed.