Weaving Sampot Chang Kben
Our first stop in Koh Oknhatei was at one of the households Chomnab works with. Manipulating a dizzying volume of bright-green threads, the women here were busy preparing the warp for a sampot or sarong skirt.
There are dozens of different sampot designs, and when exactly each one is worn depends on social class, time of day, or what occasion is being celebrated. Chomnab refers to the particular garment they are making as a sampot chang kben, a four-metre length of woven fabric – oftentimes heavily embellished with delicate repeat patterns and metallic threads – that is worn fixed around the waist
Chang kben woven on a jacquard loom are favoured by Cambodia’s wealthy, including the Royal Family, whereas simpler textiles like the ones being woven here are generally affordable enough for most Khmer, and are usually worn at weddings.
Wedding season falls during Cambodia’s dry season, so once the rain picks up, the market for sampot chang kben all but disappears.
Silk scarves, on the other hand, are a perennial product (and more popular among tourists), which is why Chomnab and others (notably the ITC, which has been supporting Cambodian weavers since the early 2000s) have introduced scarves and other products to fill the annual void in weavers’ incomes.
A woman stretches green-coloured silk threads on a wooden frame on Koh Dach Silk Island.
What to See and Do
• Silk Production & Weaving Centers: Visit the Silk Island Community Center to watch the full lifecycle of silk—from silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves to boiling cocoons, spinning raw threads, and weaving textiles on traditional wooden handlooms.
• Handmade Shopping: Purchase authentic local products such as silk scarves, sarongs (sampot chang kben), and natural-dyed clothing directly from village artisans.
• Village Life & Exploration: Rent a bicycle or a tuk-tuk to ride past green rice fields, traditional wooden stilt houses, local pagodas, and fruit orchards.
• Riverside Relaxation: Unwind in a hammock along the Mekong Riverbank, order local food and drinks, or stay overnight at a local homestay.
Travel & Practical Info
• Getting There: Take a short local ferry across the Mekong River (costing around $0.25 to $1.00) from the northern ferry terminals near Prek Leap / Kdei Chas, combined with a tuk-tuk or bike ride once on the island.
• Cost & Fees: Expect a silkworm farm entry fee of about $1.00, and a round-trip tuk-tuk hire from central Phnom Penh ranging from $10 to $45 depending on the length of the tour.
• Operating Hours: Most silk-weaving shops and community centers are open daily from around 7:00 AM or 9:00 AM
to 4:00 PM or 5:00 PM.
