Independence Monument

The Independence Monument, or Vimean Ekareach, rises as a lotus-shaped stupa at the busy intersection of Norodom and Sihanouk boulevards. Standing thirty-seven meters tall, its reddish-brown stone form is decorated with one hundred multi-headed naga snakes across five ascending levels. Architect Vann Molyvann designed the structure, which was built in nineteen fifty-eight to commemorate Cambodia's independence from French colonial rule in nineteen fifty-three.