Capital of Kampong Chhnang province, Kampong Chhnang town is located near the geographic center of Cambodia and the confluence of the Tonlé Sap River and the great lake of the same name.
Along the Tonle Sap riverside, where most residents gather, are an interesting buddhist-wat-and-a-riverside-fish-market. In the area surrounding the town are a floating-village and a rural-community-that-produces-clay-pots, a traditional product of the area that lent itself to the name of the town, which translates as “the port of pots”.
While Kampong Chhnang is home to Cambodia’s largest fresh-water port, since the development of major roads connecting Phnom Penh with Siem Reap and Battambang, the town has slowly dwindled in importance as the port services little passenger traffic anymore. From the Angkor era through the French Colonial period however, Kampong Chhnang was a town of considerable importance. Remnants of this prosperity can be seen along Kampong Chhnang’s wide, but now quiet boulevards, where you will find many dilapidated colonial buildings and across the river, where there are some ruins of moderate interest.
Other than those with their own transportation, few tourists visit Kampong Chhnang other than in passing on the way to/from Phnom Penh and Batdambang. Still, visitors who are interested in a more authentic Cambodian experience will enjoy Kampong Chhnang, which has enough sights to keep one occupied for a few hours, if not an overnight stay.
Once a thriving port town, Kampong Chhnang features wide (and now relatively abandoned) boulevards with dilapidated colonial buildings, remnants of the French colonial period; today most activity in the town is located near the tonle-sap-riverside, where the town’s main temple, Wat Yeah Tep, and Kroum Market are located.
Guesthouses and restaurants are located in town, near the Independence Monument and along National Road 5 leading south towards Phnom Penh. Dining, banking, and transportation service providers are also located in the downtown area, especially at the northern and southern ends of the town square that features the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Memorial on one end and the Independence Monument on the other.
As Kampong Chhnang is best visited with your own transportation, its easy to explore the sights by car, though the attractions along the riverside can be visited on foot, including the floating villages, which can be accessed by boat from the riverside.
Other than boats for hire to explore the river and floating villages, there aren’t a lot of transportation options in Kampong Chhnang, though motorbike taxis can be found here and there: particularly freelance drivers who will offer rides for negotiable rates.
Where to Go
- Ondoung Rossei Pottery Village: A rural community engaged in the production of traditional pottery
- Kampong Chhnang Floating Villages: A pair of floating villages are accessible by boat from Kampong Chhnang riverside.
- Kampong Chhnang Riverfront: Scenic area with a riverside market and village.
When to Go
Kampong Chhnang shares its tropical climate with the rest of Cambodia; a ‘dry season’ that lasts from November to May and a ‘rainy season’ that runs from June to October. Temperatures are relatively constant (i.e. hot) throughout the year but humidity can vary. There are times of the year that are noticeably cooler or hotter, and as is normal for a monsoon climate, times when heavy rain is nearly constant. Kampong Chhnang is fine to visit during most of the year, though the hottest months from March to May can be too hot for comfort.
Humidity and rainfall may vary through the year, but Kampong Chhnang is typically hot. Few visitors will experience something they would call cool. Temperatures in the day range throughout the year from above 100°F in the early afternoon to around 70°F at night.
The hottest time of the year in Kampong Chhnang is toward the end of the dry season, when daytime temperatures can be dangerously hot. During the wet season, although copious amounts of rain are dumped on Kampong Chhnang with monotonous regularity, rainstorms and thunderstorms often last just one or two hours in the afternoon.
Things to Do
Kampong Chhnang is a pleasant day-trip destination from Phnom Penh for those in need of a rustic escape, as well as a fine place to stop along the way to/from Phnom Penh and Batdambang if you are traveling in a hired car.
While Kampong Chhnang sees relatively few visitors, the area has a number of diverse attractions, none of which is a must-see in its own right, but which collectively make an interesting half or full day of sight-seeing.
Along Kampong Chhnang’s wide, but quiet boulevards you will find dilapidated colonial buildings as well as a smaller version of Phnom Penh’s Independence Monument at one end of a public square (more of a rectangle, but…) and the Cambodia-Veitnam Friendship Memorial at the other end.
Along the tonle-sap-riverside are an interesting Buddhist temple, Wat Yeah Tep, and a lakeside fish market, Psar Kraom. Just beyond the fish market, boats can be hired for trips to the neighboring floating-villages.
On the hillside above the town is ondoung-rossei-pottery-village, a rural community that produces clay pots, a traditional product of the area that lent itself to the name of the town, which translates to “the port of pots”.
Getting There
Kampong Chhnang is located on National Road 5, which connects Phnom Penh and Batdambang. The easiest way to reach Kampong Chnnang is by bus or car from Phnom Penh, which is serviced by both international and domestic air services.
Kampong Chhnang is approximately 91km from Phnom Penh; 54km beyond the former capital city of Oudong. Air-conditioned buses from Phnom Penh take about 1.5-2 hours to reach Kampong Chnnang. Less frequent in the years since Cambodian roads have improved, “bullet boats” travel river routes to Phnom Penh (3.5 hours) and Siem Reap (4 hours), though these are increasingly difficult to arrange. However, some river-boats traveling between Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap make a brief stop in the town as part of multi-day excursions.
Most people travel to Kampong Chhnang from either Phnom Penh or Batdambang, while traveling along National Road 5 between the two major cities. Others may get to stop briefly on their boat ride between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, as the port town is a natural rest stop between the river and lake portions of the Tonle Sap. Those traveling in a private taxi can stop and explore the town before heading out again, while those traveling by bus may not get to stop in the town at all unless they have bought tickets specifically to Kampong Chhnang.
Travel to and from Kampong Chhnang and Batdambang is via Pursat, while the journey from Phnom Penh will take only around 2 hours (91km). Private and share taxis make the trip in slightly less time.
While it was once common for boat ferries to service the Kampong Chhnang - Phnom Penh route, as National Road 5 is one of the finest in the country, and as bus travel is so common nowadays, the boats have all but stopped ferrying passengers. The bullet boats to and from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh pass through scenic countryside along the Tonle Sap Lake and River. Going from Phnom Penh to Kampong Chhnang the boats depart from the pier around 200m after the Japanese Bridge at a cost of around $8. The price from Siem Reap is slightly higher. The trip from PP will take approx. 3 1/2h; from Siem Reap approx. 4h (depending on rainy and wet season; the direction the river is flowing).
Getting Around
Kampong Chhnang town is not geographically expansive: nearly everything of interest can be explored on foot, particularly along the riverfront between Wat Yeah Tep and the morning fish market.
However, those who wish to see the colonial buildings around town and visit the pottery village on the hillside above the town are better off exploring with a car or via motodop taxi, which is easiest to procure near the information center along the Tonle Sap riverside.
Where to Stay
As Kampong Chhnang doesn’t attract many visitors, there isn’t a large selection of hotels or guesthouses.
Most guesthouses and hotels are located near the center of town and as the town isn’t particularly large, it is possible to walk or drive around and check out the various options.
Where to Eat
There are relatively few dining options in Kampong Chhnang, particularly those that cater to foreign visitors. In addition to restaurants at the handful of guesthouses in town, there are a few restaurants along the Tonle Sap riverside including a number of street stalls selling inexpensive local dishes.
If you are dining in Kampong Chhnang, as the town is a major freshwater port, ordering some fish might be the best option, though one should be aware that fish in Cambodia is typically served whole.
Where to Party
There is almost no nightlife to speak of in Kampong Chhnang, certainly not any catering to foreign tourists. There are a few local-style beer bars in town, which are basically open-air establishments that have attractive waitresses to serve beers and/or whiskey. If you hunt around a bit you may find one that doubles as a karaoke parlor, which has karaoke rooms for singing (typically only Khmer music) but also ‘karaoke girls’ who aren’t necessarily there to sing.
Where to Shop
There are very limited shopping options in Kampong Chhnang. Unless you are in the market for fish, sold daily at Psar Kroum, there are a number of small shops along the road parallel to the riverside, selling nearly everything local’s need for their day to day lives, including ingredients for cooking and household supplies, but in general this isn’t much of a destination for souvenir shopping.
Perhaps the best souvenir you can pick up in Kampong Chhnang is a clay pot, a product after which the town is named. While some are far too large to fit in your luggage, and pots may not seem an ideal souvenir to many, other items make charming gifts, such as piggy banks in the shape of pigs!
Need to Know
- What to do: Visit a floating village or riverside community, a fish market, a pottery village, and off-the-beaten-path temple-ruins.
- Best time to go: During the November to March dry season, preferably November, when the water is still relatively high but the skies dry.
- How long? An overnight stay is more than enough to enjoy all of Kampong Chnnang’s attractions, though a few hours for a few sights is just fine.
- Trivia Kampong Chhnang is named for traditional clay pots made in the area, a practice that dates back to at least the Angkor era, when visiting Chinese emissary dubbed the town ‘the port of pots.’
- For who Those looking for an accessible but less touristy destination and those with their own transportation with a few hours to spare while traveling between Phnom Penh and Batdambang.