Gateway to the northeast , Kompong Cham is a land of picturesque village and quiet Mekong meanders. Some of Cambodia's finest silk is woven here.
Kompong Cham
This quiet Mekong city, an important trading post during the French period, serves as the gateway to Cambodia's northeast thanks to a vast bridge spanning the Mekong here.
Ph Preah Bat Sihanouk, home to serveral hotels and eateries, runs along the river-front. Psar Thmei (New Market) is a few blocks inland (west) ; Preah Monivong Blvd is one block further west.
Sights & Activities
Koh Paen
For a supremely relaxing bike ride, it's hard to beat Koh Paen, a rural, traffic-free island that's connected to the mainland about 600 m south of the Mekong bridge by a motorised ferry in the wet season and an elaborate bamboo toll bridge - totally rebuilt from scratch each December - in the dry season.
Wat Nokor
The ultimate fusion temple, Wat Nokor is a modern Buddhist pagoda squeezed into the walls of an 11th-century Mahayana Buddhist shrine of sandstone and laterite. Located about 1 km west of town.
Around Kompong Cham
Phnom Pros & Phnom Srei
'Man Hill' and 'Woman Hill', the subject of a rich variety of local legends, offer fine views of the countryside, especially during the wet season, and a very stroke-able statue of the sacred bull Nandin (Shiva's mount).
Phnom Pros is a good place for a cold drink among the inquisitive monkeys that populate the trees.
The hills are about 7 km northwest of town (towards Phnom Penh) and can be visited by moto/remork for about US$5/10 return (depending on wait time), including a stop at Wat Nokor
Wat Maha Leap
More than a century old, Wat Maha Leap is one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Cambodia because it's one of the few wooden wats to have survived the destruction wrought by the Khmer Rouge, as they converted it into a hospital. Look for the 20m-long racing boat, which competes in Phnom Penh's annual Water festival.
The Wat is about 20 km south of Kompong Cham (aross the Mekong) bu is hard to find without a guide or some knowledge of Khmer. A moto should cost about US$10 return. It may also be possible to take a minibus from near the western en of Kompong Cham's Mekong bridge.
Weaving Village
Kompong Cham Province is famous for its high-guality silk. In tiny villages such as Dom Na Prin, 4.5km west of Wat Maha leap, and Prey Chung Kran, a few kilometres further south, the women and men of nearly every household turn raw silk into exquisite bolts of hand-woven silk. under the cool shade provided by their stilted homes, they work deftly to produce sampots (sarong-like garments worn on important occasions) and traditional kramas (chequered scarves). It's fascinating to watch the painstaking dyeing process - the traditional diamond and dot tessellation are formed by tying off precise lengths of silk and dyeing them various colors.
Getting to these villages by moto from Kompong Cham should cost about US$12 return, including a stop at Wat Maha Leap.
Rubber Plantation
The rubber industry has bounced back in recent year, and Kompong Cham is the heart-land of Cambodian rubber country. About 20 km east of Kompong Cham (around Chup, aka Chob), you can turn off NH7 or NH11 and find yourself in deep, refreshing shade, surrounded by neat rows of rubber trees, a backbone of the regional economy since the 1920s.
Where to sleep in Kampong Cham
The best hotels are strung out along the riverfront.
Monorom 2 VIP Hotel
Ph Preah Bat Sihanouk;
Currently the smartest hotel in town, rooms include heavy wood furnishings and inviting bathtubs.
Most include a balcony with a Mekong river view
Price: US$15 - US$25
Tel: (855) 092 777102
Mekong Hotel
Preah Bat Sihanouk;
This old-timer has been around for years and is still popular thanks to renovated room on the riverfront.
The corridors wide enough for an ultimate Frisbee tournament
Price: US$7 - US$15
Tel: (855) 042 941 536
Fax:(855) 042 941 465
Mittapheap Hotel
Tel: (855) 042 941 545
Fax: (855) 042 941 465
No Comment to " Kampong Cham Province "