Soc Trang

Soc Trang is one of the centers of Khmer culture in Vietnam (the others are Tra Vinh in the Mekong Delta and Nha Trang on the south-central coast). The town itself is unremarkable and the dining and accommodations options are limited, but it does have several interesting Khmer temples. This was once a provincial capital of the Angkor Empire, which covered much of Indochina from the 9th to the 15th century. Vietnamese settlers did not appear here until the 17th century; later, in colonial times, they were encouraged to come by the French, who sought to develop agricultural production in the region.