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| Home » Cambodia Travel Guide »
Kampong Thom
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| DESTINATION CAMBODIA |
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KAMPONG THOM
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 ATRACTIONS IN
KAMPONG THOM |
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| HIGHLIGHTS IN
KAMPONG THOM |
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| COME ON OVER |
| Grab your bags and passport, you will find here all you need to know for a trip of a lifetime. The good plan of your visit is an important part of your holiday. You should check out all your needs before traveling to make sure your holiday is enjoyable one. Just browse the sections below for helpful information. |
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KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE OVERVIEW |
| Geography |
Demographics |
Telephone |
Capital: Kampong Thom
Location: Central
Area: 13,814 km2
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Population: 569,060
Density: 41.2 /km2
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Calling code |
| Town and Districts |
| Baray, Kampong Svay , Stueng Saen , Prasat Balangk , Prasat Sambour, Sandan ,Santuk , Stoung |
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| General Information
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The Kampong Thom Province is located at the central point of the Kingdom of Cambodia and has a total land area of 15,061km2 divided into 8 districts, 81 communes and 737 Villages. The province is divided into two parts. The eastern part of National Road 6, covers 70% surface consisting of forests and plateau, rich in natural resources which are good for agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry. The Western of part of National Road 6, covers 30% surface is the plain area extending to Tonle Sap Lake. This area is good for rice cultivation and fishing for supporting the needs of the province and exporting to other.
The original name of Kampong Thom was "Kampong Pus Thom" or the Kampong of the big snakes (Kampong is a peer, a landing on a river). This name was derived from a couple of big snakes that were said to live in cave at the Sen river and which people saw on the holy Buddhist days. During the French colony in Cambodia, the French ruled and divided Cambodian territory into provinces, and named them according the spoken words of the people called ‘Kampong Thom Province’ until now.
Kompong Thom is starting to draw more visitors thanks to the pre-Angkoria temples of Sambor Prei Kuk and other lesser-known Angkorian sites. During the time of French, it was home to a large minority group called the Stieng, but they have long been assilimated into Cambodian Society. Farming and fishing are the mainstay of the population, Stung Sen winding its way through the province and into the Tonle Sap river in western Kompong Thom.
The province was hard hit by the long civil war and came under particularly fierce US bombardment in the early 1970s in an effort to reopen the severed road between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. There are only two roads that visitors tend to use in Kompong Thom Province: national highway No 6, which links Phnom Penh and Siem Reap; and national highway 64 north to Tbeng Meanchey and Preah Vihear Province. national highway 6 towards Phnom Penh is in good shape, but west towards Siem Reap is very unpleasant (at the time of writing). national highway 64 is good in the dry season, messy in the wet season, but in line for an all-weather renovation.
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KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE PEOPLE |
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GETTING IN - OUT
KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE |
The province has road network which links from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap on National Road 6, and separates to Preah Vihea province National Road 64 in a distance of 126 km.
With the road to Kampong Thom in decent shape from Phnom Penh, it’s just a matter of time before air-con buses ply the route. For the time being it’s the share taxi if you don’t have your own transportation. Once you are in Kampong Thom and want to continue to Siem Reap or T’beng Meanchey (Preah Vihear Province), the roads are worse, but the share taxis ply the route all year round.
Taxi : The journey from Phnom Penh to Kampong Thom and Kampong Thom to Siem Reap takes around 5-6 hours and Kampong Thom to T’beng Meanchey also 5-6 hours.
Motorcycle : The security in all directions is no longer a problem. As mentioned earlier, the road is a breeze from Phnom Penh. Starting at the Japanese Bridge in Phnom Penh, head out Highway 6 to Skon where you go left at the traffic circle (it has a statue of kids holding a bird). This takes you the rest the way.
The road Kampong Thom to Siem Reap is 145 km, with the road in nice shape for a while after you leave Kampong Thom town, then gets rougher, but much re-grading work has been done. It’s not like it used to be; bomb crater holes used to be so deep that during the rainy season one could have a family picnic at a crater’s shoreline.
The Kampong Thom to T'beng Meanchey is 137 km. You follow Highway 6 toward Siem Reap for 5 km to the fork in the road. A sing in English will point to the right side of the fork for TM Chey(T'beng Meanchey town, Preah Vihear Province) down High way 12.The road here is much improved, as there has been a lot of resurfacing done to accommodate the droves of logging trucks heading to and from Preah Vihear Province . The downside of the easier road is the dust that the trucks whip up as they chug along the road. It can be a real hazard as the thick dust clouds practically blind you from seeing possible oncoming traffic when you want to pass these slow moving vehicles.
The final 37 km stretch through the mountains and into T’beng Meanchey is still tough going. This is how the entire road used to be-bomb craters, erosion galleys, and rocks are all here for your motorcycle fun. It can actually be enjoyable stretch scenery is brilliant. This stretch can also be done during the rainy season, though the road may be slippery and dotted with small mud ponds after heavy rains.
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GETTING AROUND
KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE |
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KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE RESOURCES |
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The Kampong Thom Province has rich in tourism potentials to attract national and international tourists such as the exotic lakes, rivers, forests, mountain and more than 200 ancient temples. The number of tourist arrivals increase yearly. |
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TRAVEL TIPS |
Climate
The climate can generally be described as tropical. The country is affected by monsoon therefore it is hot and humid with an overage temperature around 27.C (80.F). There are two distinct seasons: the Rainy Season and the Dry Season. However, the Dry Season is divided into two sub-seasons, cool and hot. These seasons are:
The rainy season from June till October 27-35.C (80-95.f). The dry season (cool) from November till February 17-27.C (80-95.F). The dry season (Hot) from March till May 29-38.C (84-100.F)
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KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE ECONOMY |
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| Northern Cambodia |
| Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Oddor Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Siemreap - Angkor Temples |
| Central and Eastern Cambodia |
| Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Thom, Kandal, Pursat, Kampong Cham, Kratie, Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri, Stung Treng |
| Southern Cambodia |
| Phnom Penh, Kampot, Kep, Koh Kong, Prey Veng, Kampong Speu, Sihanoukville, Svay Rieng, Takeo |
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