Overview of Prey Veng, Cambodia

Prey Veng (Khmer: ខេត្តព្រៃវែង, "Long Forest") is a province (khaet) of Cambodia. The capital is Prey Veng town. In 2008 it had a total population of 947,357 people. This densely populated agricultural region is located on the east bank of the Mekong. The name literally means "long forest" in khmer, but the last great forests have gradually disappeared there over 30 years to provide for agricultural land.

Prey Veng is quite a sleepy Cambodian province, that just happen to have one of the countries busiest highways running straight through it-National Highway No 1, which links Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. It is a small but heavily populated agricultural region located on the east banks of the mighty Mekong. The name of the province means literally tall forest, but actually doesn't refer in any case to lush forests as most of them were chopped down in the past 30-50 years. Also rubber played once a big economical role in this province, but since the war took over the country the plantations are no longer commercially viable. 

There are little places of significance to see nowadays, but during the pre-Angkorian times it must have been one of the most populated and lively areas of the country. One of the earliest pre-Angkorian kingdoms was located in the area around Ba Phnom. 

The sleepy provincial capital is also named Prey Veng and situates on the National Highway No 11, recently rebuild as a road link between National Road No 11 and No 7, or Neak Luong and Kompong Cham. There aren't a lot of travellers making their way to that small town. So if you would like to escape from your fellow travellers that's an opportunity, especially on the way to Kampong Cham. It's also a stop worth on the way to or from Vietnam. The town itself hosts a few decaying colonial buildings, showing that this was once a lively and important centre. There is a huge lake on the west edge of the town, which evaporates from March till August and local farmers cultivate their rice on the fertile ground.

GEOGRAPHY

Prey Veng province is 4,883 square kilometres big. It's located in the South of the country and is bordering to the North with Kampong Cham, to the West with Kandal, to the East with Svay Rieng and to the South with Vietnam. The province consists of the typical plain wet area for Cambodia, covering rice fields and other agricultural plantations (rubber plantations in former times). The province also features two of the biggest rivers of the country the Tonle Bassac and the mighty Mekong.

POPULATION

The current population in this province is 1,063,494 person or 7.64% of the total population (14,363,519 person in Cambodia, 2007, provincial government data) with a growth rate of 2.40%, which consists of 502,671 person or 47.18% who are male and 560,823 person or 52.82% who are female. The above number also consists of 825,818 persons or 80.54% who are farmers, 140,685 persons or 13.72% who are fishermen, 44,561 persons or 4,35% who are traders and 14,267 persons or 1.39% who are government?s officers. The population density is 217.8 people per square kilometre.

CLIMATE

The country has a tropical climate - warm and humid. In the monsoon season, abundant rain allows for the cultivation of a wide variety of crops. This year-round tropical climate makes Cambodia ideal for developing tourism. Travellers need not to fear natural disasters such as erupting volcanoes or earthquakes, and the country is not directly affected by tropical storms.

Climate: Cambodia can be visited throughout the year. However, those plans to travel extensively by road should be avoided the last two months of the rainy season when some countryside roads may be impassable. The average temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius; the minimum temperature is about 16 degrees. December and January are the coolest months, whereas the hottest is April.

General information about the provincial climate:

- Cool season: November- March (24-32c) 
- Hot season: March- May (28c -36c) 
- Rainy season: May - October (24-32c, with humidity up to 90%.)

ECONOMY

Prey Veng's economy consists basically of agricultural farming, fishery, rice and fruit cropping and some garment factories producing for international markets. Especially the rural households depend on agriculture and its related sub-sectors.

• Area: 4,883 km²
• Districts: 12
• Population: 947,357 (2008)
• Commune: 116
• Area code: +855
• University: Chea Sim University of Kamchaymear