Battambang is not my birthplace, but it holds a special place in my heart. My connection to the province began at a young age; my father became a Buddhist monk there to fulfill a personal vow. My most recent visit was at the end of 2022 for a friend’s wedding. I took that time to explore the landmarks I had read about in the 5th volume of Prachum Rueng Preng Khmer (Khmer Folklore).
After spending time with a local guide and learning the deeper history of the mountain, I knew the legend of Phnom Sampov was the right story to start this series.
I began by distilling the original folklore. I rewrote the timeline to be simple and punchy—accessible for children but engaging for adults—and translated it into English.
Like many personal projects, life took over. I eventually lost motivation and shifted focus to paid client work. The project sat untouched until late 2025. Seeing how quickly our oral traditions are being overshadowed by modern digital content snapped me back into the project. I dedicated my entire 2025 year-end break to finishing the illustrations and final assembly.
Now that it’s finished, I can see exactly what I would do differently for the next province:
This book is a “Pay What You Want” project. My goal is to make these stories accessible to everyone while continuing to document the landmarks of Cambodia.
This is a Cambodian folktale set in Battambang province, where the mountains and lakes tell a story of love, betrayal, and magic. Sovann Masa is a poor girl who raises a crocodile named Ah Thun as her pet. She becomes the lover of King Reach Kol, but he abandons her for a princess with magical hair. Sovann Masa sends Ah Thun to sink the king’s ship, but the princess uses her hair to save him. A battle ensues that changes the landscape of Cambodia forever.
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