List of rivers of Cambodia

Major rivers and waterways

• Mekong — the principal international river traversing eastern Cambodia.
• Tonle Sap — a lake and river system connected to the Mekong by the Tonle Sap River.
• Tonle Sap River — the channel that reverses flow seasonally between Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong at Phnom Penh.
• Tonlé Bassac (Bassac) — a major distributary branching from the Mekong through the Phnom Penh area.
• Srepok, Sesan, Sekong — important tributaries in the Mekong's eastern network.
• Sangker and Pursat — rivers that drain the Cardamom and Dangrek uplands to the Tonle Sap.
• Other rivers — numerous smaller rivers such as Stung Sen and Stung Chinit feed the lake and local plains.

For a concise listing and map references see this list. Many Cambodian rivers are locally called "stung" (river) or "tonle" (river/canal), reflecting the country’s hydrological terminology.

Seasonality is a defining feature: the monsoon floods cause dramatic rises in water level, and the Tonle Sap River famously reverses direction each year, expanding the Tonle Sap Lake and creating rich floodplain fisheries. This annual pulse underpins rice cultivation and fish reproduction across vast areas.

Rivers also have social and economic importance: they carry goods, support inland fisheries, supply irrigation, and are focal points for settlements. In recent decades hydroelectric development upriver, dam construction, and changing land use have raised concerns about altered flows, sediment transport and impacts on fish migration and floodplain livelihoods.

Conservation and management efforts seek to balance development with protection of aquatic ecosystems and community needs. Understanding Cambodia's rivers requires attention to both the major transboundary Mekong system and the many smaller rivers that sustain local environments and cultures.