The National Center for Health Promotion was established in 1982.

Between 1982 and 1987 the centres primary objective was to focus on research in and promotion of hygiene, epidemiology and immunization of children.

In 1987 the centre was formally named Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology and expanded its focus to include water borne diseases and health education.

In 1989 the Asian Health Institution (AHI) supported the Department with technical and financial support, and introduced participatory training methodology (PTM) in health education and primary health care.

Due to the expanded focus the centre was renamed again in 1991 as the Center for Hygiene, Education and Primary Health Care.

In 1994 the health education activities of the centre had become so central that units of the centre working with specific topics were relocated to other centres and national programs. This event formed the basis for a move towards taking on a more strategic role in health education.

In 1997 the transformation of the centres role towards health education and promotion was complete. Once again the centre changed its name to National Center for Health Promotion (NCHP), as it is known today. At the same time, from 1997 to 2001, AusAid supported the centre with technical and financial support for health promotion and primary health care in Cambodia.

Between 1997 and 2006 NCHP has been supported by many different partners such as AusAid, MEDiCAM, UNFPA, WHO, GTZ, URC, BBC World Service Trust, TIMA, SEATCA, JOICFP, WE, HU, Hellen Keller International, CARE , Cambodian Red Cross, WVC, AHI, the European Commission and UNICEF, to strengthen the centres capacity in health promotion and Behaviour Change Communication (BCC).

In 2003 NCHP was assigned the responsibility to become the lead agency on BCC for health in Cambodia. Since 2005 the European Commission and UNICEF has jointly supported the centre to achieve this goal by the end of 2009 through the BCC project.