Kompong Cham province
Kompong Cham province straddles the Mekong River to the north of Kandal and Prey Veng provinces and forms a buffer between Vietnam to the east and Kompong Chhnang to the west, while its northern edge borders Kompong Thom and Kratie. As with all of Cambodia's rural provinces, Kompong Cham is an agrarian centre with large tracts of land used for growing rice, tobacco, corn and rubber. The scenery is lush and green in wet season, dry and dusty in the dry.
The provincial capital Kompong Cham sits on the west bank of the Mekong River and is an important transportation and trade hub. This importance has been bolstered with the construction of Cambodia's first bridge spanning the Mekong, the mostly Japanese-funded Kazuma Bridge which impressively crosses the Mekong from the southern part of town.
The name Kompong Cham refers to the once significant Cham population which moved here following the demise of the Champa kingdom at the hands of the Vietnamese. Distinctive in their religion, dress, customs and language, the Cham were singled out by the Khmer Rouge, who decimated their population. Even today, with its plentiful Chinese-script signs, Kompong Cham feels more like a Chinese trading town than the Cham agrarian centre it once was.
The vast majority of backpackers and independent travellers who reach Kompong Cham are heading further afield -- mostly to Kratie, Mondulkiri or Rattanakiri provinces, but if you have the time, try to allow for at least an overnight stay in the provincial capital as there are some excellent expeditions that can be made from here.
