The sampot is a lower-body, wrap around cloth and is the national garment of Cambodia. The traditional dress is similar to those worn in the neighboring countries of Laos and Thailand where they are known as pha nung , but variations do exist between the countries. The similarities can be explained by the fact that traditional Thai and Lao dress are derived from the Angkorian-style sampot when the Khmers had immense cultural influence on Lao and Thai culture. Both Sukhothai and Ayutthaya were provinces of the Angkor empire, and Lan Xang was formed by Fa Ngum, the Lao prince that resided in the Cambodian courts who later married a daughter of the Khmer king.

The sampot dates back to the Funan era when a Cambodian king ordered the people of his kingdom to wear the sampot at the request of Chinese envoys. silk weaving has been an important part of Cambodia’s cultural past. It has been documented that people from Takéo Province have woven silk since the Funan era and records, bas-relief and Zhou Daguan’s report have shown that looms were used to weave sampots since ancient times. Since ancient times, women have learned highly complex methods and intricate patterns, one of which is the hol method. It involves dyeing patterns on silk before weaving. What remains unique to Cambodian weavers is the uneven twill technique, the reason why they adopted such an unusual method remains unclear. However, little is known about the old Khmer vocabulary for these fabrics, and if the sampot today was simply changed over time from the original Angkorian textiles. The ancient bas-reliefs however provide a complete look at what fabrics were like, down to patterns and pleats. Silk woven pieces are used as heirlooms, in weddings and funerals, and as decoration in temples.

Textiles

There are three important silk textiles in Cambodia. They include the ikat silks (chong kiet in Khmer), or hol, the twill-patterned silks and the weft ikat textiles. Patterns are made by tying natural and synthetic fibers on the weft threads and then it is dyed. It is repeated for different colors until the patterns firm and cloth is woven. Traditionally, five colors are used. Red, yellow, green, blue and black are the most used. The Sampot Hol is used as a lower garment and as the sampot chang kben. The Pidan Hol is used as a ceremonial hanging used for religious purposes.

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