One of Cambodia’s tiniest and sleepiest provinces, Svay (pronounced Swai) Rieng, also happens to have one of the busiest motorways in the nation going directly through it. Svay Rieng is situated on National Highway No. 1, which connects Phnom Penh with Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam immediately after crossing the Mekong River through the Neak Loeung Ferry. Due to the poor quality of the land, it is also one of Cambodia’s poorest provinces. The majority of people in the province make a meager living through farming and fishing.
The provincial capital is the peaceful town of Svay Rieng, which is only 43 kilometers from the Bavet border crossing. Due to the border trade, passing tourists, and business travelers, this area is fairly profitable. The town is a very welcoming location and is a good overnight break whether traveling to or from Vietnam.
Svay Rieng is located next to the Waiko River and its enormous, picturesque marshlands, which are a result of a substantial portion of the river significantly drying up over time. There are various locations along the river and marsh where you can enjoy this nice scenery. A inscription on a bridge that spans the Waiko, not far from the town’s center, reads that Prime Minister Hun Sen gave the bridge.
American forces claimed that this location served as the headquarters for Vietnamese communist intelligence during the lengthy Vietnam War. There were definitely many Vietnamese communists hidden during much of the war, particularly in the South of Cambodia, but there wasn’t a vital hub like the Pentagon there. Unauthorized American bombardment of this region started in 1969, and in 1970 South Vietnamese forces joined them for a significant land operation.