Welcome to Kampong Chhnang

The Tonle Sap River flows through Kampong Chhnang province providing abundant water resources for fishing and agriculture. It is well known for its skilled potters who make the terracotta pots (chhnang) used throughout the country. It is from this that the province draws its name.

Many of these potters are itinerant and can be seen selling their work from ox-cars throughout Cambodia. Kampong Chhnang is a good place to get a flavor of life on the water as many fishing families live in floating villages which line the riverbanks.

Provincial Capital and Port

The capital of Kompong Chhnang, an old provincial town, is the principal fishing port for Phnom Penh. Each day, catches of fish packed in ice are loaded onto trucks which make their way to the capital. It is a short walk from the Psar Leu market in the town center to the old French quarter with tree-lined streets, grassy parks and faded villas. The marshy plain just outside the town is flooded when the water overflows from the Tonle Sap River and a causeway across the marshes connects the town to its port.

Just About Everything Floats

Floating villages line the causeway and the river. Most of the fishing families are ethnic Vietnamese, identified by their peaked hats and women in trousers, and their houses are built on pontoons of wooden rafts on steel drums which float on the swollen waters of the Tonle Sap during the wet season. These villages have all the facilities of a village on the plains and are served by markets, machine tool shops, convenience stores, vendors selling housewares and vegetables, a gas station, just about everything, except that they float.

Many of the homes have televisions, small floating gardens and farmed fish are penned in cages between the boats. Kids use novel ways to get around, paddling on large industrial aluminum bowls, to move from house to house. Large wooden boats can be hired from the riverfront for between US$5- US$8 an hour. Otherwise do as the locals do and hire a small wooden boat where the boatman rows standing up. Phoum Kandal and Chong Kos are two such vibrant floating villages.

A Village of Chhnang Potters

Ondong Rossey is a short ride on red dirt tracks from town. This is a small village where the famous red pottery is made. The chhnang are unpainted pots with etched or appliquéd designs and artists can be seen employing different methods to shape the pots. The mud comes from a nearby quarry and is finely pounded before being shaped. Pieces can be bought in the village or from several stalls in town.

Pre-Angkor Ruins

There are a handful of small pre-Angkor ruins. Prasat Phraysry has interesting stone work from the 7th century but the jungle has knocked down its companion temple. A replacement is being built. Prasat Phunnry is on top of a hill and requires a stiff walk up to the top for rewarding views of the countryside. Not quite a tour for the temple buff, but altogether a nice relaxing day.