Floating Villages, Kompong Khleang, Cambodia

Docking area where we boarded a boat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Because we traveled on a domestic flight from Phnom Penh to Angkor Wat, we did not have to go through any customs nor red tape at all.

Our Cambodian host booked and made arrangement for us for a two day visit here in Angkor Wat.


We were met by a very polite tour guide with a van waiting for us outside the airport.

A nice cool and comfortable ride to the Floating Village!

There are a number of Floating Villages in Siem Reap Province.

Our first destination in Siem Reap was visiting one of those Floating Villages. It was about half an hour car ride from the airport.

Our  guide explaining to us about the floating village

We got into a van and our tour guide took us to a dock where we boarded a boat.

We were on our way to visit a floating village around the Kompong Khleang area.

A few thousand people live in the Floating Village

Considering the high temperature in Cambodia, a ride in a clean comfortable covered boat was a treat for us as we felt the breeze washing over our faces.

 We sailed past by many houses floating on the water. We even saw a couple houses decorated with flower pots in the  front of the floating house.

We visited a Vietnamese Floating Village

The population of ethnic Vietnamese living in Cambodia is around 600, 000 people ( about 5 % of the population).

Students of the Floating Village school

The floating village we visited was a Vietnamese Floating Village with a few thousand people residing permanently on water.

A floating school for young children

The Vietnamese Floating Village is certainly a thriving community with its own school.

From the look of the outside of one boat, it looked like a kindergarten school for young children

Our guide explained to us where the animals and natural resources were located in the area

A floating restaurant and shop

Our guide was excellent! He explained to us in detail the history of the Vietnamese people in Cambodia therefore we learned a good history lesson and a few other things about Cambodia.

A floating school

The houses of the Floating Villages  are built on floating objects, therefore they move along on the river, sometimes up to the lake, according to the season.















He was also very professional, he told us exactly what we were going to see and do and there was no surprise for us.

A floating store where residents could do their shopping

We sailed by people's houses, shops etc. However, we were not taken to see any poor children or school where we felt we had to buy rice for any starving children like so many horror stories I read about from other tourists on Trip Advisor.

A floating church

Even a church on water at this Floating Village!

We would love to attend a service there!

We stopped at this shop for pictures and souvenirs

It was a very nice, pleasant ride for us, cruising around the village, stopping by a shop to look at some crafts and souvenirs.

There was no pressure to buy anything. We could look around, linger. ask questions and take pictures as long as we wished.

It is amazing how people can spend their entire lives living on water! We have seen it with our own eyes.

My friends and I learned a lot about the inhabitants on water and enjoyed our visit to the Floating Village thoroughly!

R.T.
Floating Village
Siem Reap, Cambodia