A Man Immersed In Legal and Building Backgrounds

With an extensive educational and professional background in law and construction, the man that acts as the representative of the Secretary General of the Cambodia Constructors Association wishes to see more competent lawyers to professionally serve the nation’s thriving construction industry.

Since 2001, Dr. Tan Monivann has been Vice-President of the Mong Reththy Group (MRG), the largest agro-industrial firm in Cambodia and in the top five in Southeast Asia. He also represents Neak Oknha Mong Reththy, MRG’s President and Founder who has also been appointed as Secretary General to the Cambodia Constructors Association (CCA) that represents constructors in Cambodia.

Born in Kompong Cham province in 1973 to a noble family of four siblings, Monivann married in 2000 and has two children. He earned diverse academic degrees both from Cambodia and overseas in the fields of law, development, business, economics, and public administration.

Having been immersed in the building sector since 2001, he has led MRG’s construction division, Samnang Khmeng Wat Co .Ltd, the nation’s leading construction firm operating since 1989. Having attended biddings for public construction projects, Dr. Monivann sees the sector now suffering due to the inability of contractors and owners to draft effective contracts for construction projects.

“Most of the contracts between owners/contractors in Cambodia are written with many loopholes that usually cause conflicts among parties,” he said. “Most lawyers aren’t specialized in construction knowledge, so the contracts they draft contain many loopholes, especially on the payment scheme and construction term.”

According to Dr. Monivann, only about 400 registered lawyers are active in Cambodia now, and very few of them have specialized in construction.

To ease the situation, he recommends; parties to learn construction-related laws clearly; contractors should register with the Cambodia Constructors Association to get protection and recognition; developers should register with the Ministry of Economy and Finance to get recognition; projects should follow technical standards; and parties should approach registered legal professionals that have construction knowledge.

Besides being concerned at seeing so many foreigners dominate high-level positions in Cambodia’s construction sector, other challenges he acknowledges are; heavy reliance on foreign investment; local developers not having long-term property development planning, no standard land prices, local property prices being heavily reliant on imported construction materials whose prices often fluctuate, and political instability.

He also sees the need to improve the digital economy, asserting that, “In other cities, people can sell/buy property online, but this system is far from being reached in Cambodia. With our current property transaction system, we can’t trade properties on the world market.”

Because construction is a backbone for Cambodia where the land is still abundant, he recommends Cambodian property traders to focus on land trading, and developing properties for sale or for rent. “Because Cambodia is a land-intensive country, if more construction material producers can operate inside the country, Cambodia will be able to develop property at a cheaper cost than other nations,” he said.

Looking toward the ASEAN Community, he identifies losing domestic employment to foreign nationals and the greater inflow of exotic goods as challenges. However, he believes that the merging will force Cambodia to work harder to keep up with other nations.

Because construction and law are his main skills, Dr. Monivann’s achievements stretch across the two industries. In the building sector, he has led the company on dozens of projects nationwide for the government, developer partners, and the private sector. In the legal sector, via his own position, and as the CCA Secretary General, he has been heavily involved in the drafting of various legal instruments to serve and shape today’s prosperous construction and property sectors to ensure their healthy future.

Just like people the world over, Dr. Monivann has dreams he wishes to achieve in his lifetime. On the subject of legal development, he wishes to assist the government in reforming and improving the legal sector to gain back foreign investors’ confidence. For the construction sector, he wishes to develop various property projects like condominiums so his name will be remembered for them.

As a prominent Cambodian motivator, Dr. Monivann recommends the younger Cambodian generations to set a concrete life plan, improve their skills and knowledge, and capitalize on the opportunities they have.

For company employees, he advises them to build capacity gradually over time to reach their desired positions. “If you are reluctant with your self-improvement, and accept whatever you have, you can’t prosper,” he said.

For ambitious people like himself, he urges them to build themselves a fantastic future by setting up a life mission and vision that clearly reflect their current position, their future direction and the way to reach that direction by capitalizing all available resources and opportunities.

- Video Advertisement -

Related Post

Mekong River Bridge in Kratie Province Approaching Completion

The long-awaited Mekong River Bridge, stretching 1,761 meters, is on the verge of completion, now standing at an impressive 89.84%. Local authorities anticipate the temporary opening to the public in September 2025, marking a significant milestone in the region’s infrastructure development. His Excellency Lim Sidenin, Secretary of State and Project Director, provided insights during a […]

In 2024, Cambodia Signed New Concessional Loans Totaling USD 1.7 Billion

In a significant move to bolster its economic development, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has secured new concessional loans totaling approximately USD 1,795.84 million from various development partners (DPs). This marks a 2 percent increase from the previous year’s total. According to the latest Cambodia Public Debt Statistical Bulletin released today, the newly signed […]

Cambodia Strengthens Irrigation Systems to Boost Agricultural Productivity

In a recent press conference held on March 2, 2025, His Excellency Tho Jetha, Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology, announced that Cambodia is home to an impressive 2,352 irrigation systems, which collectively can irrigate nearly 2 million hectares of agricultural land across the nation. Highlighting the significance of water resources for the national economy […]

Strengthening Economic Ties: Cambodia and India Boost Trade Relations

In a move to elevate bilateral trade relations, Cambodia and India have reported a significant increase in their trade volume, now exceeding $340 million. This announcement was made during separate discussions between Samdech Techo Hun Sen, the Acting Head of State of Cambodia, and H.E. Bawitlung Vanlalvawna, the Indian Ambassador to Cambodia, as well as […]

Council for the Development of Cambodia Empowers Subnational Investment Committees

In a significant move to streamline investment processes, the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) has announced the delegation of authority to capital and provincial investment subcommittees to register investment projects under the Cambodian Investment Project Management System (cdcIPM). This initiative is set to take effect in the third quarter of 2025. On March […]

Gov’t Introduces Measures to Enhance Water Management in Cambodia’s Agriculture Sector

In a concerted effort to tackle the pressing challenges in water resources management, the Economic and Financial Policy Committee of Cambodia convened on March 5, 2025. The committee unveiled a comprehensive plan comprising three key measures aimed at improving water management within the country’s water and agriculture sectors. During the meeting, members deliberated on the […]