Kampong Cham (, "Port of the Chams" ) is a
province (
khaet) of
Cambodia located on the central lowlands of the
Mekong River. It borders the provinces of
Kampong Chhnang to the west,
Kampong Thom and
Kratié to the north,
Tbong Khmum to the east, and
Prey Veng and
Kandal to the south. Kampong Cham was officially divided into two provinces on 31 December 2013 in what was seen by many as a political move by the ruling party. All land west of the Mekong remained Kampong Cham while land east of the river became Tbong Khmum province. Prior to this division, Kampong Cham extended eastward to the international border with
Vietnam, was the 11th largest province in Cambodia and had a population of 1,680,694, ranked as the second most populated province in the nation. Its capital and largest city is
Kampong Cham. Kampong Cham is home to the current Prime Minister,
Hun Sen.