Anna KH

I am literally writing this with durian still in my nose and coconut shell dust probably still stuck to my skirt 😂 Today is Sunday, 12 July 2026, and I just got back from the Durian and Local Fruits Exhibition at Royal Plaza, Ground Floor, Aeon Mall Mean Chey the very last day of the 3 days festival. I almost didn’t go. I kept seeing it on Facebook and TikTok, telling myself, “Maybe tomorrow… maybe when it’s less crowded.” And then suddenly today was the final day and I thought, te tov vea! Just go! So I grabbed my bag, called a PassApp, and off I went. 🛵💨

The moment I reached the Royal Plaza area and saw the entrance, I actually felt my chest tighten a little bit in a good way. You know that quiet kind of pride that sneaks up on you? That was me, standing in the middle of Aeon Mall, staring at this giant durian and thinking, “Wow… this is our Cambodia being celebrated, right here.” 🥹🇰🇭

🍈 The Giant Durian Display : A Photo Moment You Cannot Miss

Honestly, this display stopped me in my tracks. Right in the center of the Royal Plaza was this enormous durian sculpture sitting proudly under a golden Khmer arch frame, like royalty. Around it: yellow decorative trees, fresh looking flowers, lush green “grass,” and rattan baskets carefully arranged so it felt like a fruit village, not just a mall corner. The signage in Khmer and English “ពិព័រណ៍ទុរេន / Durian and Seasonal Fruit Festival” made it feel so official and so proudly Cambodian.

I took… I’m not joking… maybe 15 photos right there. Different angles, different poses, selfies, no shame at all 🤳😂 Everyone else was doing the same families lining up, couples matching in kramas, kids hugging the durian like it was a cartoon character. It wasn’t just “mall decoration”; it felt like public art. The detail on the durian spikes, the curves of the arch that looked so distinctly Khmer like the roofs of our pagodas and old wooden houses everything was intentionally done.

Standing in front of that arch, I felt like this whole setup was saying: Look at us. Look at our fruits. Look at our culture. We are worth celebrating. And honestly, that backdrop alone is worth the trip. If you didn’t get your photo there this year… next time, don’t miss it. 😉

🎨 The Craft Activities : Sit Down and Make Something Beautiful

After I finally pulled myself away from the giant durian (with great difficulty), I followed the sound of kids laughing and aunties chatting and found myself in the craft area. They designed it to look like a traditional Cambodian village right inside the mall thatched roof style huts, bamboo furniture, floor cushions (our beloved kanhchor), and walls decorated with patterns that reminded me of old Khmer tiles and fabrics.

It honestly felt like stepping into a different time but with aircon 😆 Families were sitting on the floor together, some young couples working side by side, grandparents guiding little hands. Everywhere you looked, people were using their hands folding, weaving, carving, assembling. It felt very intimate and very Cambodian.

There were three main craft activities: fruit carving, coconut shell flower making, and basket weaving. I didn’t manage to do all three (time went by so fast), but I watched, I tried, and I admired a lot.

Fruit Carving 🍉

Fruit carving is something I’ve always associated with royal ceremonies, weddings, and fancy hotel buffets. You know when you see a watermelon turned into a blooming rose and you think, “Who has hands like that?!” Today, those magical hands were right in front of me.

There were instructors patiently guiding people on how to carve patterns into fruit gentle cuts, careful curves. I didn’t fully carve one myself (my knife skills are more “instant noodles at midnight” than “royal palace chef” 😅), but just watching up close gave me a new respect. This is Khmer artistry that we sometimes only see quickly at events, but here it was being taught to anyone who wanted to try.

Coconut Shell Flower Making 🌸

This was one of my favorite corners. Tables were full of coconut shell pieces, glue, wooden bases, and people quietly focused on turning what most of us throw away into delicate little flowers.

I sat down here for a while and tried to put together my own little flower. The woman next to me probably in her late 40s made the most beautiful piece so quickly I almost wanted to clap for her. I looked at her creation, then at my awkward little petals, and just laughed.

I told myself, “From coconut shell that most people throw away… to this?” and honestly, it hit me how Cambodians are experts at turning simple things into art. As I said out loud (half joking, half serious): “That is Cambodian ingenuity for you.” I was genuinely impressed and also inspired to go home and look at coconuts differently. 😆

Basket Weaving 🧺

Then there was the basket weaving area, and this one really touched my heart. Two women were sitting and weaving calmly, their hands moving with that confident rhythm that only comes from years of practice. Behind them was a tall, pyramid-shaped shelf stacked with finished baskets different shapes, sizes, patterns all in natural tones that just looked so… home to me.

My grandmother used to weave. Not full time, but enough to make mats and baskets for the house. Watching these women teach visitors especially the younger ones gave me that sudden lump in the throat feeling. I remembered my grandma’s hands, always busy, always creating something useful and beautiful at the same time.

I found myself thinking: These skills are part of who we are as Cambodians. They’re not just “old-fashioned hobbies”; they’re knowledge, identity, and history passed from one generation to the next. Seeing them showcased like this, in the center of a bright, modern mall, felt so right. They deserve to be seen, valued, and celebrated exactly like this.

📖 Stories from the 90s : A Walk Through Cambodian Memory

One corner of the exhibition that I really didn’t expect to hit me emotionally was the section with stories and memories from the 1990s. The 90s in Cambodia were a time of rebuilding, of trying to stand up again after the darkest years of our history. My parents and grandparents lived through that era; I grew up hearing fragments of their stories like puzzle pieces.

Seeing those memories displayed so openly in a modern shopping mall was… powerful. Photos, words, visuals that reminded us of the resilience it took to get from there to here to a place where we can now have a Durian and Seasonal Fruit Festival in an air-conditioned mall, with crafts and free noodles and kids running around safely.

I noticed some people walking past that section quickly, eager to get to the hands-on activities or snacks. I get it life is busy, and the crafts are fun. But I stood there for a while, quietly reading and just breathing it all in. I kept thinking: It matters that we remember. It matters that young Cambodians see that our present day joy sits on top of so much struggle and strength.

For me, that corner turned the whole exhibition from just “fun weekend event” into something deeper a gentle reminder of where we came from and how far we’ve come.

🛍️ Shopping: Khmer Victory Village : Buy Beautiful, Buy Local

After getting emotional in the memory section, I did what any reasonable Cambodian woman would do: I went shopping 😂 But not just any shopping this area was filled with stalls from “ភូមិខ្មែរជោគជ័យ / Khmer Victory Village”, featuring products made by Cambodian artisans and entrepreneurs.

There were rows of gold lacquerware bowls and containers that looked like something you’d find in your grandma’s glass cabinet the “special occasion only” ones. Shiny, detailed, elegant. Next to them, stalls with traditional jewelry, delicate and sparkling under the mall lights, and hand woven kramas in every color you can imagine.

There were also local food products and snacks, some organic items, and beautifully packaged goods that would make perfect gifts. I kept thinking of all the times people travel abroad and rush to buy souvenirs from other countries, and here we are with so many treasures of our own.

I felt this strong sense of responsibility mixed with pride. Everything here is made by Cambodian hands. When you buy from these stalls, you are not just getting a pretty bowl or a new krama; you’re supporting a Cambodian family, a village, a dream. That means something. If you ever see Khmer Victory Village at an event, please buy at least one thing even a small item. You’ll bring home a piece of Cambodia that was made with love.

🍜 The Food : Free Noodles, Desserts & Fruits (Yes, FREE!)

Okay, let’s talk about the part that made my inner foodie scream with happiness: FREE FOOD. Yes, you read that right. Free noodles, free desserts, free fruits at a mall event, for everyone. Only in Cambodia, I swear. 😆

There was a line, of course, but it wasn’t stressful. It felt almost like being in a village celebration people chatting in line, aunties comparing recipes, kids trying to peek at the dessert table. When it was my turn, I got a bowl of Cambodian noodles, some dessert, and later sampled the fruits too. All free, all delicious.

The fruits were seasonal and local, which fits perfectly with the whole idea of the exhibition to celebrate Cambodian fruits and the farmers who grow them. Tasting them there, under the Durian and Seasonal Fruit Festival banners, felt symbolic in a way. Like, we weren’t just looking at pretty fruit displays; we were actually sharing in the harvest.

The Khmer Victory Village food court nearby had even more food choices (if you still had space in your stomach). But what stayed with me most was this thought: There is something very Cambodian about feeding people. In our culture, food is love. Food is care. And today, that love was free offered to strangers standing side by side in a mall, smiling over their bowls of noodles.

💭 Anna’s Honest Thoughts : Why This Exhibition Matters

Walking out of Aeon Mall Mean Chey this evening, I felt something I don’t always feel after a weekend outing: I felt deeply proud.

When the world thinks about Cambodia, they often think of Angkor Wat, temples, and sadly, the history of war and tragedy. Those things are real and important, of course. But Cambodia is also this: a giant durian centerpiece that makes kids giggle, grandmothers teaching basket weaving, teenagers learning fruit carving, families sitting on floor cushions making coconut shell flowers together, local fruits presented like jewels from our soil.

This exhibition felt like a love letter to Cambodian culture to our farmers in the provinces, to artisans who sit and carve and weave for hours, to grandmothers who never stop teaching, to the fruits that grow in our hot, stubborn, beautiful land. It celebrated the everyday things that make us who we are.

I was also really impressed by how thoughtfully everything was organized. The Khmer aesthetic was everywhere from the arches and murals to the cushions and crafts. The signage was in both Khmer and English, which made it welcoming for locals and visitors. And the fact that all this took place in a modern, shiny mall showed something important: We don’t have to choose between tradition and modernity. We can bring our heritage into contemporary spaces and let them shine together.

As I was leaving, I caught myself thinking: I am proud of this country. I always have been. But today reminded me why in a very specific, very beautiful way. We have so much to celebrate not just our temples and our history, but our living culture, our crafts, our fruits, our people.

I hope events like this don’t just stay in Phnom Penh. I want to see festivals like the Durian and Local Fruits Exhibition all across Cambodia in Battambang, Kampot, Ratanakiri, everywhere. I want young Cambodians to feel this same pride and connection to their roots. And I want international visitors to see beyond the temples and discover the everyday magic of Khmer life.

Closing 🌟

I’m so, so glad I decided at the last minute to go today. If Aeon Mall Mean Chey ever reads this thank you for organizing the Durian and Local Fruits Exhibition and for making it feel so heartfelt, not just commercial. Even though today was the last day, I really hope this festival comes back next year bigger, longer, louder, and with even more fruits and crafts and stories to share. 🍍🍌🍊

If you went this year too, I’d love to hear your experience. And if you didn’t, tell me: what kind of Cambodian cultural events do you want to see more of in our malls, streets, and cities? Let’s keep celebrating who we are, loudly and proudly. 🇰🇭

Did you visit the Durian and Local Fruits Exhibition this year? Drop a comment below I’d love to hear what was your favorite part! 🍈🇰🇭