Ethnic Vietnamese face discrimination and statelessness in Cambodia

Global Voices reports that tens of thousands of ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia remain stateless, lacking documents to prove citizenship in either country. A 2019 census counted over seventy-eight thousand Vietnamese speakers, though civil society groups estimate the ethnic Vietnamese population is far larger, ranging from four hundred thousand to seven hundred thousand. The roots of the divide trace back decades, to Khmer Rouge-era persecution and Vietnam's subsequent occupation of Cambodia, which left lasting anti-Vietnamese sentiment. Without citizenship, many of these families, some living in floating communities on the Tonle Sap Lake, are cut off from education, healthcare, and freedom of movement.

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