page_title: Neak Loeung
section_title: Characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Neak Loeung / Characteristics
caption_attribution_description: Vehicle waiting for the Ferry crossing to Neak Leoung
context_page_description: Neak Loeung is a busy commercial town in Prey Veng Province, Cambodia. Located on the Mekong and astride National Highway number 1, it is the commune centre for Neak Leung commune and the capital of Peam Ror District. The town can be reached by car ferry from Kampong Phnum in Kandal Province or by boat along the Mekong river.
  Due to its strategic location, the town and port of Neak Leung has been a significant battleground at various times in Cambodia's history. In August 1973, during the Cambodian Civil War, Neak Leung was propelled to the centre of international attention when an American B-52 Stratofortress mistakenly dropped its 20-ton load on the town centre.
context_section_description: Prey Veng province lies on the lower part of the Mekong flood plain. During the rainy season, much of it is severely flooded and is only accessible by boat. Neak Loeung is on slightly higher land and is near the geographic centre of the province. Because of these geographic peculiarities, a number of aid and development agencies have opened offices in Neak Leung, rather than in the provincial capital Prey Veng, as a base for work elsewhere in the province.
  The car ferries that cross the Mekong at Neak Leung are an essential part of Cambodia's transport infrastructure. The current vessels were purchased in 1997, as part of a $20 million USD grant from the Mekong River Commission to upgrade ferry facilities in Cambodia. Despite the upgrade, there are sometimes significant delays while waiting to cross. If one of the ferries is not operational or traffic is particularly heavy, there may be queues of hundreds of vehicles and a wait of several hours to cross the river.  
  The first Cambodian bridge across the Mekong was built in Kampong Cham town with Japanese assistance and opened in 2001.
caption: Sellers converge on a heavily laden vehicle waiting for the ferry crossing to Neak Loeung
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