Cambodia🕣
State in the southern part of the Indochina Peninsula. Official name – the Kingdom of Cambodia. Population – 17.1 million (as of 2020). Capital – Phnom Penh. State language – Khmer. State structure - parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Main religion – Buddhism.
Cambodia
Greeting
There are different forms of greeting in Cambodia. In meetings with representatives of foreign companies and organizations, the accepted norm is a handshake, which should be gentle and short.
The handshake as a greeting ritual, however, does not apply to the women involved in the conversation. They are likely to be embarrassed if foreign men extend their hand to greet them.
The traditional greeting in Cambodia is som pa: the palms of the hands are placed together in a prayer gesture at chest or head level, but not above nose level. This gesture is accompanied by a slight bow towards the interlocutor.
In addition to the greeting itself, som pa often carries some additional meaning depending on the location of the hands and the depth of the bow. The higher the hands are raised and the deeper the bow, the more respect a person shows to his interlocutor. With the help of som pa Cambodians express feelings of gratitude and appreciation.
Women travelling to the country on business should remember that when greeting their Cambodian male partners are not ready to initiate a handshake, as it is not customary in their culture.
If you are not meeting with just one person but with a small group of Cambodian partners, start your greeting with the one who has the highest position or is the oldest. By doing so, you will show respect and at the same time knowledge of local rituals.
A person's status, primarily reflected in their position, title, or age, is a very important category in Cambodian business culture. For example, status determines the order in which people are greeted in a group or who should enter the meeting room first for a business talk.
Introduction
Many Cambodians still do not have surnames in the European tradition. Cambodians use their father's or mother's name or surname as their surname. As a result, siblings may have different surnames because they received their father's or mother's name as their surname.
Western naming practices are becoming more common and Cambodians are increasingly using surnames that are always placed b...
Exchange of Business Cards
The exchange of business cards in Cambodian business practice usually takes place after a verbal introduction of the partners during the first meeting.
In addition to the name, title, company name, and contact details, it is common to include the holder's educational degree, scientific title, and professional qualifications, if any.
It is advisable to prepare business cards in ...
Small Talk: Overview
Your Cambodian partners will appreciate it if you say a few words in their language. Even if you make mistakes or say something that is not quite right, it will still be well received.
Cambodians make very limited use of body language during conversation and are somewhat suspicious of those who gesticulate excessively. Showing emotion during communication is not common.
Refrain...
Preferred Topics
Family, city, country you come from. Cambodians are happy to converse about these topics while sharing similar knowledge about themselves.
Work and topics related to professional life....
Taboo Topics
Any negative (even in a veiled form) remarks about other people always lead to the loss of "face" of the interlocutors, and thus to a breakdown of harmony in the conversation.
Do not confuse Cambodians with Thais, Vietnamese, or other Southeast Asian cultures. Each has a rich history and its own specificity.
Never say anything disrespectful about Buddhist temples, monuments, or...
Personal Space
The distance of comfortable communication in Cambodia is an arm's length. In communication between friends, this distance is usually shorter.
If the participants in a conversation are a superior and a subordinate, the distance between them will increase, it will be greater than arm's length. On the contrary, friends or close acquaintances stand closer to each other.
Physical co...
Communication Specifics
An important concept in Cambodian culture is "face" and the related concepts of "losing face" and "keeping face". It refers to a person's reputation, appearance, and image. Loss of face occurs when a person is criticized, objected to, or humiliated in the presence of others.
For Cambodians, saving their face and preventing others from losing face is a very important element of communi...
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