Kampong Chhnang Town, Kampong Chhnang Travel Package Tours, Cambodia Tour Information Hotel Guide

KAMPONG CHHNANG OVERVIEW

The capital of the province of Kampong Chhnang is situated on the Tonle Sab close to the beginning of the Tonle Sab lake, nearly 100 kilometres north of Phnom Penh. Kompong Chhnang is a tale of two cities; the bustling dockside seen by those traveling to Siem Reap by fast boat, and the old French quarter with its pleasant parks and handsome buildings. Connecting these very different parts is a long road lined with stilt houses and a maze of narrow walkways. The name Kompong Chhnang comes from the local clay pots ( chhnang ) made in villages around the town and sold throughout Cambodia, and from Kompong meaning "port" (thanks to its location on the Tonle Sap river). The town has nothing beyond atmosphere to offer the casual visitor, but for those with limited time who want to feel of provincial Cambodia, it makes for a pleasant transit stop between Phnom Penh and Battambang or an easy day trip from the capital, stopping at Udong along the way. During much of the 1990s, plans were afoot to redevelop the old Chines-built runway, constructed during the Khmer Rouge regime to fly in supplies from China for their "self-sufficient" paradise. The massive runway was never fully operational, but may well have been planned with an attack on Vietnam in mind, as the complex seems too sophisticated for cargo alone. Thousands are believed to have died during construction, as the ultra-paranoid Khmer Rouge leadership was said to have had all workers on the project executed to keep its existence a secret. An investment consortium planned to turn this area into a free-trade zone and had hoped it would eventually rival Hong Kong and Dubai - a project that has never materialized.