In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 10 September 1954
- Birthplace
- Prey Veng Province, Cambodia
- Country
- Cambodia
- Nationality
- Cambodian
- Known for
- Building Sokimex from fuel distribution into hotels and property development
- Born
- 10 September 1954, Prey Veng Province
- Founded
- Sok Kong Import Export (Sokimex), 1990
- Hotel brand
- Sokha Hotels & Resorts
- Angkor ticket concession
- Ended in 2015; state collection began in 2016
- Major development
- Bokor Mountain tourism and property
Why this life matters
Sok Kong’s career links Cambodia’s postwar fuel trade with its tourism boom and the public scrutiny of private concessions and land development.
Timeline
Key moments
Established Sokimex
Registered Sok Kong Import Export on 27 March with fuel import and distribution as its core business.
Acquired CKC oil assets
Sokimex acquired the state-owned CKC fuel company and its storage facilities during privatisation.
Opened Sokha Beach Resort
Launched the flagship property of what became Cambodia’s largest local luxury hotel chain.
Developed Bokor tourism facilities
The Sokha company secured a long Bokor lease, developed access and opened Thansur Sokha Hotel in 2012.
Reorganised as Sokimex Investment Group
The original import-export company became the centre of a wider investment group.
Angkor ticket collection returned to the state
The government ended Sokimex’s ticket-collection agreement in November 2015 and took over collections in January 2016.
From Prey Veng to a Phnom Penh trading business
Sok Kong was born in Deum Kor village in Prey Veng Province on 10 September 1954, according to a book of first-person interviews published by his company. He describes childhood trade, a move to Vietnam during Cambodia’s years of conflict and a return to Phnom Penh after 1979. These are his recollections, rather than an independently verified account of every early-life detail.
He worked in rubber goods, imports and battery production before turning to fuel. On 27 March 1990, Sok Kong Import Export Co., Ltd. was registered with petroleum as its main business. Its abbreviated name, Sokimex, became one of the best-known Cambodian fuel brands. The company says it supplied the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia in 1992, linking its early growth to the peace operation and the rebuilding of commerce.
Oil assets and a wider investment group
Sokimex expanded its fuel storage and distribution network in the 1990s. The company’s timeline dates its acquisition of state-owned CKC oil assets to 1996. That deal brought depots and employees into a business already active in imports. A contemporary interview reproduced by Cambodia’s securities regulator describes Sokimex as a fuel distributor considering a future stock-market listing; it is evidence of the company’s ambitions, not proof that a listing occurred.
In 2010 the original import-export operation was reorganised under Sokimex Investment Group. Its interests came to include hospitality, property, manufacturing and other sectors. Group descriptions of scale and market position are company claims and can change over time, so they should not be treated as an independently measured personal fortune.
Sokha Hotels and the Bokor project
Sokha Beach Resort opened in Sihanoukville in 2004, followed by Sokha Angkor Resort in 2005. The hotel company says Sok Kong founded the Sokha brand and places it under the Sokimex group. These properties tied a fuel-led enterprise to Cambodia’s fast-growing visitor economy, first on the coast and then near the Angkor temples.
At Bokor Mountain, the group’s hotel subsidiary obtained a long lease and began road and hospitality development. The company’s Bokor history dates construction activity to 2008 and the Thansur Sokha Hotel opening to 2012. Le Bokor Palace reopened under the group in 2018. These dates distinguish completed facilities from later proposals for a much larger mountain development.
The Angkor ticket concession and public oversight
Sokimex also collected visitor fees at the Angkor archaeological park under a government agreement. A Cambodian parliamentary monitoring report records opposition lawmakers’ questions about transparency and revenue under that arrangement. It reports that the government invalidated the agreement in November 2015; state management of ticket sales began in January 2016. This was a ticket-collection role, not ownership of Angkor or the monuments.
The concession illustrates how Sok Kong’s business history intersects with state decisions over important public assets. Criticism of an agreement’s terms should be attributed to the lawmakers and observers who raised it; it does not by itself establish personal wrongdoing.
Questions raised about Bokor land in 2026
A June 2026 Amnesty International investigation identified three scam compounds on land awarded to Sokha Hotel at Bokor and examined the group’s corporate and land connections. Amnesty called for a formal investigation of whether the company or affiliated individuals bore responsibility for abuses at those sites. Its report did not make a finding that Sok Kong personally ran the compounds or had been convicted of an offence.
The report says Sokha Hotel had told another news organisation that it rented land used by one compound to another company. Amnesty wrote to Sokha Hotel and Sokimex on 15 May 2026 and reported no response by publication. These are dated allegations and responses, not a concluded legal case; any later official findings or company reply would require a fresh review.
Sources for this section: [9]
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Sok Kong
- Who is Sok Kong?
- Sok Kong is a founder and chairman of Sokimex Investment Group. Sok Kong’s career links Cambodia’s postwar fuel trade with its tourism boom and the public scrutiny of private concessions and land development.
- What is Sok Kong best known for?
- Sok Kong is best known for building Sokimex from fuel distribution into hotels and property development.
- When and where was Sok Kong born?
- Sok Kong was born on 10 September 1954 in Prey Veng Province, Cambodia.
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Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Sokimex Investment GroupThe Secret Behind the Success of Neak Oknha Dr. Sok Kong, first-person interviews
First-person recollections place his birth on 10 September 1954, correcting the unsupported 1948 year previously on this page. The authorised company book is not independent verification of every memoir detail.
- 2. Sokimex Investment GroupSokimex company timeline
Company chronology supports milestones, but descriptions of group scale and investment plans are promotional and not independently verified outcomes.
- 3. Sokimex Investment GroupChairman’s message and company history
- 4. Sokha Hotels & ResortsSokha Hotels corporate history
- 5. Le Bokor Palace / Sokha HotelsLe Bokor Palace project timeline
- 6. Securities and Exchange Regulator of CambodiaCambodia’s emerging stock market and Sokimex interview
- 7. Transparency International CambodiaParliamentary monitoring report on the Angkor ticket agreement
The monitoring report records parliamentary criticism and the November 2015 cancellation. It does not adjudicate individual misconduct.
- 8. Angkor EnterpriseOfficial Angkor ticket provider
- 9. Amnesty InternationalFalling Through the Cracks, Bokor investigation (2026)
Amnesty’s June 2026 investigation reports allegations, a previous company explanation and the absence of a reply at publication. It calls for an investigation and does not establish personal criminal liability.
- 10. Wikimedia CommonsSok Kong — portrait and reuse record
