We had the opportunity to visit a
floating village in Kampong Cham. The people living in this village
are Vietnamese refugees who have come to Cambodia. However, the
government won’t allow them to buy land, and they have very little
money anyway. So, they’ve set up their homes on the Mekong River.
Apparently, the Cambodian government allows them to stay there.
About 200 families live in this
floating village. After going down several steep dirt steps, we
reached the shore where they have a single board to walk across the
water into their house. They also have ropes anchored to the shore
that allow their houses to rise with the river and not become flooded
or washed away. Their houses literally float on the water; they
aren’t connected to the ground in any way other than by the rope
attached to the shore.
Their houses look
like shacks made of
wood and bamboo slapped together. However, once inside, I was amazed
at how much it was like a normal house. They had electricity by
generators, television, beds, kitchens, gardens, etc. It was really
remarkable. One family we visited has lived here nearly 25 years. One
of our translators/guides is from Vietnam, and she has been visiting
these families for the past several years that’s she’s been in Kampong Cham.
an actual building on land that serves as a Christian school for the
Vietnamese children. One afternoon, we went to play games with them.
It’s encouraging to see them being taught the truth about God, in
fact that’s the name of the school – School of Truth.
