Takeo Province, which lies to the southwest of the capital and in the past housed the ancient kingdom of Funan, was established at the beginning of the first century.
Within the region, there are several sites that tourists may be interesting to explore: Phnom Chisor which has a temple of Angkorian style, Tonle Bati which has three temples: Ta Prohm, Peay Pov and Neang Khmao.
Phnom Chisor (or Phnom Chiso) was built on top of a hill. A trip to this site will offer a magnificent panorama, allowing tourists to discover the region and the Cambodian countryside as well. The temple dates back to the eleventh century; clay brick and stone are two main materials to construct the temple. Lintels and frames are all carved sandstone. In the early time, the temple was called Suryagiri. A 461-step staircase provides access to this site.
Tonle Baiti is a small lake located about 30 kilometers from Phnom Penh. It is very popular for the local people to spend their weekend to this destination.
Ta Prohm and Peay Pov (or Peay Peau) temples were built in the twelfth century by Jayavarman VII. Among these two temple, Ta Prohm is the more extensive and impressive one; many of its sculptures are well preserved. Peay Pov is, meanwhile, a single sandstone tower next to a pagoda which is still active. Ta Prohm was modified and extended in the sixteenth century.
Not far from there, at a distance of about 27 kilometers to the north of Takeo town, there lies another temple, the Neang Khmao. Made from sandstone and brick in Koh Ker's style, the temple was built in the tenth century under the reign of King Jayavarman IV (921-941) to worship Brahmanism. The site originally consisted of three temples, however, only two still exist.