Overview

Kampong Cham is a province in the central lowlands of the Mekong River in Cambodia. It is adjacent to Kampong Chhnang province in the west, Kampong Thom and Kratie in the north, Tbong Khmum in the east, and Prey Veng and Kandal in the south. The former province of Kampong Cham was divided into two provinces of Kampong Cham and Tbong Khmum. While the western land of Mekong belongs to Kampong Cham, the eastern land becomes to Tbong Khmum province. Before the division, Kampong Cham is one of the largest provinces in Cambodia which extended eastward to the border with Vietnam with a population of 1,680,694 people. Kampong Cham city is the largest and capital city of Kampong Cham.

In the Khmer language, the word “Kampong Cham” means “ Ports of the Chams”. The symbol of the province is two snakes wrapped around each other which are put at the capital city bridge, Kampong Cham.

Most tourists who find themselves in Kampong Cham are in transit to anywhere else in the country because this city is lied between two famous tourist attractions of Cambodia including Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

The residents of the province mostly are ethnic Khmer group, but there are a significant Cham people living in the towns. Most of them are Muslims and Christians. 

Kampong Cham features the road system that connects with most major Cambodian cities, including Phnom Penh. The highway between Kampong Cham and the capital Phnom Penh runs along the Mekong river and buses frequent this route daily, so you should have no trouble getting between the two cities