Located in the plateau and mountain region, Stung Treng province has Laos on its northern border. It’s a friendly, quite country town situated near the confluence of the San River and Mekong River which provides beautiful picture-postcard river towns. With its 11,092sq.km and a population of 95,184, comprising 47,219 males and 47,966 females. The province consists of 5 districts, 34 communes and 128 villages. The district Stung Treng constitutes the urban portion.
This remote province looks set to become a major commercial crossroad between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Currently, it is a forgotten place, but once the road south are finished, it will once again be plugged into the rest of the country. Much of Stung Treng’s traffic travels by water, as several major rivers traverse the province, including Tonle Kong, Tonle San, Tonle Srepok and, of course, the Mekong. However, the roads are improving and NH78 east to Rattanakiri is now in very reasonable shape.
Visitor attractions are extremely limited for now, but as tourism takes off elsewhere in Cambodia, it is possible that boat trips up the Mekong’s tributaries will be a different way to see some remote area. The population of Stung Treng includes several, minority groups and the western chunk of massive Virachay National Park, accessible from Siem Pang- two factors that suggest there is some tourism potential as the province’s infrastructure develops. Part of its problem is being sandwiched between Rattankiri, one Cambodia’s most interesting provinces, and southern Laos, an area rich in attractions-why hang around Stung Treng? Right now, anywhere outside the provincial capital is pretty much the ends of the earth.
With improved security countrywide, the opening of the Cambodia-Lao border just 50km north of town and strategic location on the overland route to Rattanakiri, Stung Treng looks set for a surge in visitor numbers. It is an active trading town located on the banks of Tonle San, which flows into the mighty Mekong on the western outskirts of the city limits. Some locals call Tonle San Tonle Kong or Tonle Sekong as these two rivers merge 10km east of the town. “Se” is actually Lao for “river” so Tonle Sekong is pretty much “River River Kong”.
Thala Boravit
Thala Boravit was an important Chenla-period trading town on the river route connecting the ancient city of Champasak and holy site of Wat Phu with the southern reaches of the Chela Empire, including the ancient cities of Sambo Prei Kuk and Angkor Borei. For all past glories, there is very little to see today. There are the limited remains of several bricks towers, but only one is easily identifiable by the lower section that still stands. It is hardly worth the effort for the casual visitor, but temple fiends may fell the urge to tick it off. Thala Boravit is on the west bank of the Mekong River and irregular boats cross from Stung Treng throughout the day.