Vietnamese Villages in Cambodia

One of my friends took us to visit a Vietnamese village located along the Tonle Sap river. The conditions they live in are deplorable as they are stateless with no legal rights. On our recent trip, I had the opportunity to visit one of the nearby villages that is close to Phnom Penh. In seeing first hand the living environments of so many who are poor, I am truly amazed at the resilience of the human spirit to persevere in such conditions. Only God can give someone the ability to have hope and joy in such a challenging environment. Visiting families required us walking along these narrow wooden planks or taking a little boat with the aid of a young Vietnamese family member. Venice this is not, as electrical cords dangle from bamboo sticks that act as 'support' beams' along the wooden path way. The Vietnamese that live along the river banks have to pay a 'docking fee' to the owners whose homes align just infront of the Vietnamese boat houses.

In these muddy waters of the Tonle Sap the kids will bathe and their clothes (if they have any) are washed. One can only wonder how it is people can survive in such difficult circumstances and yet they do.