Kampong Luong Floating Village

Pursat is home to a Kampong Luong, a large floating village community on the Tonle Sap.

As well as houses and shops, the floating buildings include petrol stations, medical clinics, and even a Catholic church.

The main business on the lake is fishing and a common catch is the small “trei riel” fish that are caught in the hundreds of thousands. These are used to make the nation’s favourite pungent dish – prahok, a fragrant fish paste that can be found in many Khmer dishes.

When arriving at Kampong Luong, it resembles a working fishing dock – complete with associated rubbish and aroma – but there are some tourist boats that will take you around the village and out onto the lake to explore.

There are a number of floating communities around the Tonle Sap lake, including Kampong Chhnang floating village on the river and several others on the Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap.