In 2018, I was excited to read in a news article that Cambodia had broken the Guinness World Record for the longest Dragon Boat. The Dragon Boat is named កម្ពោជិកបុត្តាខេមរាតរី or Kambojika Putta Khemara Tarei, which means Dragon Boat of Khmer Youth in Cambodian Territory. At 286 feet 5 inches it’s almost as long as the Statue of Liberty is tall! The reason this was particularly exciting to me is that this World Record had set in Prey Veng province, where I had lived from 2006 to 2009.

What is a Dragon Boat? These are specific class of ceremonial boat traditionally found in Southeast Asia that feature the head and tail of a dragon. In Prey Veng, many pagodas that are close to a waterway have a Dragon Boat which they turn out annually for provincial races. Winning Dragon Boat teams from across the country then gather in Phnom Penh for a national race during Water Festival at the water front near the Royal Palace. Massive crowds gather to watch the races, fireworks, and floats. One year – back in 2007 or 2008 – I was actually invited to row with a Dragon Boat team but I was too shy and declined. I almost instantly regretted it because it was a once in a lifetime invitation. Don’t let shyness keep you from doing things.

In 2020, we visited Toul Baray Andet, also known as Monkey Island, just outside of Prey Veng town and discovered the world record holding Dragon Boat off to the side of the road under a pavilion.

I had been hoping to see the Dragon Boat but I hadn’t expected to find it randomly sitting off to the side of a road outside of Prey Veng town. It was still in relatively good condition but was exposed to the elements including seasonal flooding.

By the time I saw the Kambojika Putta Khemara Tarei Dragon Boat again a couple of years later the elements had stripped away some of it’s lacquer and paint, leaving the wood exposed.

However, by then, it had also been moved to the ‘new’ Prey Veng waterfront where a new building was being constructed to shelter it.

Today the Kambojika Putta Khemara Tarei Dragon Boat has been refinished, with the damaged lacquer and paint restored to it’s original glory. It now rests in it’s new secure building, protected from elements and with murals explaining it’s history.

So if you’re ever in Prey Veng province, I’d recommend stopping by the waterfront at the Provincial Capital to have a look. It’s an impressive boat.