Prey Veng (Khmer: "grand forest" or "long forest") is a sleepy province of Cambodia. The capital is Prey Veng town.
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.
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.
Prey Veng is a quiet 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.
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.
