More generally, people use the land here to determine where the best places to live and farm are. Khmer people in this region use the word "phno" to refer to sections of land here that are higher than the surrounding land and are not ideal for farming. Many Khmer people have set up villages along these higher sections of land, while using the lower sections of land, which are better for farming, to grow rice and other crops. Many people--Khmer, Vietnamese, Chinese and Cham--have built their houses along the banks of the rivers in this region too.
In this environment, people face several challenges, some of which are easier to adapt to than others. For example, the folks who live near rivers have to deal with flooding, especially during the rainy season. The heavy rains cause the water levels in many of the rivers in this region to rise up over the rivers banks. Sometimes, this results in people's homes filling up with water to the point that people need to use boats to move around and not drown. Due to the way that some streets and designed in this region, they flood easily, making traveling by motorbike and car difficult.
Another challenge that comes with living in this region involves climate change. The lives of people who live near a lot of water, especially those who live near the sea, are often more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than people who don't. As sea levels rise around the coastal areas of this region, more and more saltwater is coming into the land, making farming and fishing more difficult. Rising sea levels can also displace people, or force them to move away from the sea.
