Kun Khmer is a popular martial art in Cambodia that is said to have ancient roots, but sadly spent a period in decline due to the long period of conflict experienced by the country in the 20th century. This exciting form of boxing uses elbow and knee strikes as well as kicks and punches to win points or, ideally, knock the opponent out. Now, Kun Khmer’s popularity is on the rise again, and is screened on national TV in Cambodia, filmed in TV studios in Phnom Penh. 

Can you watch Kun Khmer live in Phnom Penh?

Luckily, the answer is yes! And it’s easier to watch than you think. Fights are filmed at Bayon TV Studio in south-west Phnom Penh Thursday – Sunday evenings from 6pm-8pm, and the studio is open to a live audience. We went on a weekend, and think this is the best atmosphere you will find to watch the sport live.

Do you need to book in advance?

The short answer is no, you don’t need to book, but you can if you want a ‘VIP Experience’. It’s common for tourists to pay around $15-20 for a ‘VIP ticket’ which includes hotel pickup, some ‘free’ drinks, and a guaranteed ringside seat. If you want to be right up close to the action, this might be a good choice for you.

However, you can also attend for free, which is what we decided to do. Get yourself a Grab tuktuk for around $2-4 from central Phnom Penh out to the TV studio. In our experience, this took around 30 minutes as there was some weekend traffic on the main roads through the city. You don’t need to arrive for the very beginning at 6pm if you don’t mind missing some of the action, there will likely be some available seats all night. 

When you arrive, walk through the car park towards the building, you’ll likely be offered to pay for a VIP seat near the door, but if you don’t want to you can politely decline and head towards the studio doors. Once inside, take an available seat in the stands – the higher seats get better views over the cameras and the ring, whereas the lower seats get the atmosphere.

You can also buy some snacks and drinks from the stands outside the arena, or bring your own if you’d rather. There were local families with children enjoying the free entertainment and excellent atmosphere with a picnic in the stands (which the family next to us kindly shared with us which we found very touching and wholesome – not the kind vibes we’d expected at a martial arts arena!) and groups of young men with beers cheering at the front. 

Our experience watching Kun Khmer in Phnom Penh

We were pleasantly surprised by what a great evening we had at Bayon TV Studio watching the live boxing! The commentary is almost all in Khmer, but the rules are easy enough to understand, and the screens around the studio showing the match as it appears on TV with scores etc definitely help. Also, whilst martial arts are of course, in their way, violent, the competitors all had a deep respect for one another, and most if not all of them shared a smile and hug like friends after each round. The friendly attitude is contagious, reminding the audience that the sport is not just a fight, but a display of great skill. If you’re not sure whether to go and watch Kun Khmer during your Cambodia trip, our recommendation is to go along to Bayong TV Studio, grab a spare seat(you can bring your own food and drinks), and experience it for yourself.