Her Excellency Academician Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Leads Delegation to Inspect Spean Toap Ancient Bridge in Oddar Meanchey Province

On the afternoon of September 12, 2026, Her Excellency Academician Minister of Culture and Fine Arts led a delegation from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to inspect the general condition of Spean Toap, located in Cheung Tien Village, Cheung Tien Commune, Chong Kal District, Oddar Meanchey Province.

Spean Toap, also known as Spean Ou Chik, is an ancient bridge built across the Sreng River along an ancient road leading from the Angkorian capital to Vimayapura (present-day Phimai Temple in Thailand). This bridge is considered a major structure built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, and is the longest bridge from the reign of King Jayavarman VII, measuring approximately 150 meters in length, 10 meters in height, 16.40 meters in width, and featuring 28 arch openings. Unfortunately, during the past conflict along the Cambodian-Thai border, Thai military F-16 aircraft dropped M-K82 bombs on Spean Toap at two locations on December 15, 2025, specifically at the northern and southern bridgeheads, causing severe damage to the bridge structure and balustrades across 68 spots.

It should be recalled that the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts had previously conducted eight phases of restoration on the bridge since 2015, but work was interrupted when the war damaged the bridge at the end of 2025. Currently, the Ministry is assessing the possibility of resuming restoration, as the bridge’s condition has deteriorated further at key locations due to water flow currents and the M-K82 bombs.

On that occasion, Her Excellency Academician Minister also inspected and visited Prasat Prohm Kel (a former hospital), which district authorities are developing into a popular tourism destination in the province.