Thailand–Cambodia Conflict Explained: Is It Still Safe for Tourists to Visit Thailand?
There are a number of major beefs which are currently active or appear likely to explode in the near future. Russia has been officially fighting Ukraine for over a decade, with it seems increasingly likely that the battle will spread throughout Europe. The Gaza War, between the Israelis and Palestinians, has resulted in a humanitarian crisis so pronounced that it has caused a global outcry. Meanwhile, as of this writing during the last month of 2025, the USA appears to be on the verge of fighting Venezuela, while tensions over Taiwanese sovereignty hold the potential of igniting an international battle in the Western Pacific.
In a world so chaotic, smaller skirmishes tend to fly under the radar. For instance, many readers may be surprised to discover there’s concurrent fighting going on between Thailand and Cambodia, a couple of countries which border each other. Both are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a political bloc that isn’t known for internal bloodshed, thus making this increasingly-violent conflict even more surprising.
History of the Thailand-Cambodia Conflict
As these stories often tend to go, this current beef has actually been brewing for centuries. There are many intricacies involved, dating way back to the days when the Khmer Empire, considered to be the predecessor of modern-day Cambodia, ruled the land. The Khmer were eventually dominated by the Thai Empire.
In fact, it’s well understood that Cambodia would have fallen completely under Thai domination, if not for the former being colonized by the French beginning in the mid-18th century. This colonization would persist for almost a century, with the Cambodians basically exchanging one ruler for another. Under the French they could not be dominated by their regional enemies, but they were still very much colonized.
Meanwhile, the Thai people had been fortunate, or some would say crafty enough to avoid European colonialization altogether, and they prospered accordingly. And discontent over territories remained.
The Franco-Siamese Treaty
Or another way of looking at it is this. The Cambodians were not stronger than the Thai, but the French were. And it was the French who officially demarcated the boundaries of Cambodia and Thailand.
In the process of doing so, the Thai were compelled to cede captured lands to France, and those areas became part of Cambodia. That was the price the Siam (i.e. Thai) empire had to pay to retain its independence from European colonization. But of course, they weren’t happy to give those lands up.
Making matters worse is there being disagreements when it comes to certain all-important components, such border surveys, which make up the Franco-Siamese Treaty. So even now, with French colonialism being a thing of the distant past, land disputes between Cambodia and Thailand persist.
2025, The Year Sh*t Hit the Fan
The reason most of us aren’t aware of all of this is because the Thai and Cambodians haven’t actually been fighting. That is, they haven’t been fighting up until very recently.
One fact that should be pointed out is that the aforenoted land dispute revolves largely around ownership of a cluster of old Hindu temples and their surroundings, that are situated near or on the border of the two countries. Officially, i.e. as decreed by the international community, these temples are set in Cambodia. But once again going back to the discrepancies or lack of agreement within the Franco-Siamese Treaty, the Thai government doesn’t agree. And the note, the Franco-Siamese Treaty was signed al the way back during the first decade of the 20th century
The breaking point in the contention came in February 2025, when the Thai and Cambodian militaries got into a shootout. This was the result of, most simply explained, Thai soldiers attempting to prevent Cambodians from displaying national pride at one of the disputed temples, which is set on Thai soil. Resultantly, Cambodian soldiers decided to defend their people. And by the time the smoke had cleared, one of them had lost his life.
The Situation Escalates
Another Cambodian soldier died when the two sides went at it yet again in May, 2025, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that this dispute was something which now needed to be addressed more seriously. Back then, neither government seemed particularly keen on fighting. And that may be the main reason why this beef has thus far remained a “conflict” as opposed to erupting into all-out war, i.e. neither side appearing bloodthirsty per se.
But the situation has gradually escalated nonetheless. For instance, a couple of separate incidents circa mid-2025 resulted in Thai soldiers being dismembered, by landmine, while patrolling a disputed border territory. And this came after the Thai government had already instituted border closings.
July 2025 proved to be a pivotal month in the conflict. The hostilities between the two nations became so pronounced that Cambodia demanded a ceasefire. What led to that sentiment was clashes between the two militaries in which the death toll began to include both soldiers and civilians alike.
Since then, a couple of ceasefires have come into effect. The signing of the second, which transpired in October 2025, was even facilitated by US President Donald Trump. But these deals, unfortunately, proved to be short-lived.
What’s Currently Going On
For example December 2025, the month of this composition, has proven particularly volatile in the Cambodia-Thailand conflict. In recent days, December has devolved to become even bloodier than July. The exchange of fire between the two countries is now a common occurrence. Furthermore, direct diplomatic relations have more or less collapsed. And beef between Thai and Cambodians has even reached remote locations, i.e. South Korea.
So far the Cambodians seem to be the party who have more aggressively sought after a ceasefire. Perhaps this is to be expected, considering that economically, Thailand is much better off than its eastern neighbor. Relatedly, as The National Interest puts it, “Thailand’s military capabilities… far outstrip those of Cambodia”.
But the Cambodians don’t come off as being shook. So what we are currently faced with is a rising body count that is generating more international attention as we approach the new year.
The Trump Factor
US President Donald Trump has been noticeably active in promoting peace between Thailand and Cambodia. Relatedly, the latter country even nominated the Donald for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump was instrumental in brokering the aforementioned peace deal, and reportedly, he also managed to establish a new, third ceasefire in December 2025. That was just a couple of days before I wrote this article. However, as of the writing of this article the fighting has recommenced. And the situation is beginning to appear more like an Israeli versus Palestinian type of dynamic, i.e. a land dispute in which one party is clearly more powerful than the other, yet the weaker appearing as if it will never give up.
So the fighting continues to spread, with both military personnel and civilians paying the price. Hundreds of thousands of people, on both sides of the border, have been displaced. And this is in addition to border closings, which have negatively affected commerce and the movement of vital resources, while infrastructure is being targeted, such as the Thai military destroying a Cambodian bridge, via airstrike, on 13 December.
How Does This Conflict Affect Tourism in Thailand? Is Thailand even Safe to Visit?
The shortest answer I can give to the aforementioned question is yes. Yes, as of the writing of this article (December 16, 2025) Thailand remains safe for tourists. The current fighting is actually only limited to specific border areas between Thailand and Cambodia, far from the main tourist destinations that most visitors travel to. Popular cities and regions such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi, and the islands are completely unaffected by the situation.
You see Thailand is a very large country and the areas involved in this unfortunate fighting are geographically isolated from everyday tourist routes. Owing to this, life in the rest of the country continues as normal. Both domestic and international flights are operating normally and tourist attractions remain open.
I’m Currently in Bangkok As I Write This Amidst the Thailand Cambodia Conflict
I’m writing this article while physically in Thailand, and everything feels business as usual. I live in Bangkok, where the city is as lively as ever and everything is normal and going on as usual. I’ve also recently been to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Pattaya, and the atmosphere in all these places has been relaxed and unchanged. Locals are going to work, tourists are sightseeing, and no special security measures are visible in daily life.
That being said, it is also worth noting that Cambodia remains safe to visit as well, particularly in major tourist areas like Phnom Penh and coastal destinations. Just like Thailand, the situation is contained and does not affect normal travel across most of the country.
Importantly, both Thailand and Cambodia depend heavily on tourism as a major source of income. I think this creates a very strong incentive for both governments to prevent any escalation that could harm their international reputation or disrupt travel. For this reason, I think it would be highly unlikely that the conflict would spread beyond the areas where it is currently taking place.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, as of this writing there’s no perceivable end to the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. But fortunately, like I said above, the fighting has been centered around certain border areas rather than spreading throughout the entirety of the countries.
I think it’s safe to speak for most of us upon expressing the hope that Donald Trump and other concerned stakeholders can find a resolution. There’s already enough fighting going on in the world, and we don’t want to see yet another region descend into chaos.
