Cambodia’s building boom is being fueled by expectation of increased tourist numbers to Angkor Wat and property investment speculation. This, coupled with increased wealth of locals and their financial ability to build homes adds to demand for building blocks, keeping villagers busy in factories across the nation.

Workers are drawn from around the country to work in factories, often moving on site with their families. It’s team work, from small family run sites to the larger scale factories, which now invest in machinery to aid production. In small family run plants bricks are still extrude and cut by hand. The bricks are then dried for one month removing excess moisture before being stacked and fired in large kilns.

Bricks have been around for thousands of years, the process unchanged other than modern machinery to remove the laborious work. Pre ninth century Angkorian temples constructed from red brick still stand around South East Asia, their manufacturing process would probably be similar to what we see today.

Meet the ladies

A family business

Shaping the perfect brick

The inspector

Grandma

Team work

Ladies, loading the kiln

The perfect stack

Fuelling the fire

End of day smiles

Heading to Cambodia? Check our Angkor Wat Survival Guide , essential tips for visiting the temples.

Be sure to view these Stunning Angkor Wat Photos!

After a bit of culture? Check Kampong Khleang, a photographers paradise.