On the second day in Phnom Penh, we together with our Cambodian friends took a city tour by tuk-tuk. The easiest transportation tourists could take to travel short-distance from one place to another in Cambodia is tuk-tuk because of its practicality and cheap price. We rented a tuk-tuk for US$ 20 for one whole day tour. The driver could speak some English and had destinations map to offer to us. I asked him to take us to the Independence Monument in the center of the city.
Known as Vimean Akareach in Khmer language, the Independence Monument was constructed in 1958 to celebrate Cambodia’s freedom from French colonialism on 9 November 1953. King Norodom Sihanouk successfully forced the French empire to grant Cambodia total independence without shedding any single drop of blood. This has become his highest achievement during his rule that he was rewarded the title “the Father of Independence.” Standing majestically at the heart of the capital on the intersection of Norodom Boulevard and Sihanouk Boulevard, this reddish brown lotus-shaped edifice was a masterpiece of the famous and influential Cambodian modern architect Vann Molyvann. He is the father of the New Khmer Architecture who also designed the Olympic Stadium and many other buildings in Phnom Penh during the 1960s – 1970s. Modeled after the central tower of the famous Cambodian world heritage Angkor Wat, the monument is 20 meters high and has five tiers decorated with 100 Nagas, a mythical multi-headed cobra in Khmer culture. Inaugurated on 9 November 1962, the monument was erected by the father of King Sihanouk, King Norodom Suramarit. Besides symbolizing as an independence memorial, the monument also serves to commemorate Cambodian soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the independence. For this reason, this monument is also referred to Victory Monument.
Unless you visit the monument on national celebration days, you will not see anything going on here. The monument is the epicenter of activities on big celebrations like Independence day and Constitution day. The Cambodians celebrate their national independence every November 9, and during that time, the monument is filled with large crowds and spectators watching their king lighting up the Glory Torch placed at the interior pedestal of the monument in the presence of the high-ranking officials and public. With the peculiar design of Angkorian style tower, the monument has become an inimitable place in the whole city that attracts many visitors and tourists alike. However, on daily basis visitors are not allowed to enter the monument. At night the monument is floodlit with red, blue and white lights representing the colors of the national flag.
The giant photograph of the deceased King Sihanouk is placed on the pavement across the Independence Monument.
A photo of us with our Cambodian friends. We miss them…, the stories, the moment… 
The monument is informally called “Pineapple” as you can see from the structure. Others say that the structure resembles a lotus flower bud while some people say it looks like a stupa, which is an important structure in Buddhism to keep Buddha relics and to serve as a place of worship. 
The monument sits in the middle of the busy roundabout so I could not take any closer picture of the building than the ones I had taken. As you can see the monument is closed for public visit on normal days. We could not enter the monument for there were stone barriers at the entrance. Visitors are prohibited to come near the monument. 
As the weather was very hot and the sun was shining very brightly, we did not spend too much time here. After taking some photographs, to save time, we continued our tour to the next destination, which is the killing field.
Sources:
Personal experience and additional information from other online articles
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