History
In early Christian era, the province was a major center of the kingdom of Fu-nan, between economic and political capitals of the country what were Oc Eo (now in the Vietnamese province of An Giang) and Angkor Borey (in the Cambodian province of Takeo).
However, with the advent of Chen-la, the hub of the kingdom moved farther west, to Koh Ker and Angkor and the region lost its importance.
In the 15th century, the Khmer emperors, under threat from the Siamese (former name of people of current Thailand) decided to resettle back to the east, to Oudong, Lovek then Phnom Penh. Prey Veng did favor them as it was too close to another danger, namely the Annam. Neverless they formed an army at Ba Phnom in 1473 to defend against an invasion of Siam.
Under the French protectorate, the colonial authorities saw potential of the region in terms of agriculture and fishing and its proximity to the French colony of Cochin China. Mass deforestation took place, to create land for agriculture.
In 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took power, the province experienced its first famine, until 1977. Thousands of people in Prey Veng Province were killed by the Khmer Rouge and buried in mass graves.
As the Vietnamese army advanced in January 1979, the region regained its position and became one of the first areas of Cambodia liberated from the Khmer Rouge.
Read more about this topic: Prey Veng Province
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