Longvek

Longvek stood near the Tonle Sap River, where Cambodia's rulers established a capital after the age of Angkor. Its position gave the court access to the great lake and to the waterways leading toward the Mekong and the sea. Merchants from abroad reached the Cambodian kingdom through these routes, while the court contended with powerful neighbours to the west and east.

King Ang Chan established Longvek as a royal centre in the early sixteenth century. Under his successors the city became a meeting place for Cambodian officials and foreign traders, including Portuguese visitors arriving through Malacca. Siamese armies attacked the kingdom repeatedly, and in 1594 Longvek fell to an invasion from Ayutthaya. The loss of the capital forced the court to seek another seat, leaving the fortified city as a symbol of a troubled period in Cambodian history.

The later city of Kampong Chhnang lies here.