PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is assessing the possibility of resuming restoration work on Spean Toap, the longest ancient bridge built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, after the more than eight-century-old structure was severely damaged by bombs dropped by Thai fighter jets, despite lying deep inside Cambodian territory, dozens of kilometres from the border.
Minister of Culture and fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona led a ministry delegation on Sept 12, as it inspected the overall condition of Spean Toap, also known as O’Chik Bridge, in Cheung Tien village and commune, Chong Kal district, Oddar Meanchey province.
The inspection resulted from the bridge’s structure, which deteriorated due to damage caused by bombing and water erosion at several critical points.
“During the Cambodia-Thailand border fighting in late 2025, Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped two MK-82 bombs on Spean Toap on Dec 15, with one striking the northern end of the bridge and the other the southern end,” the ministry said.
“The attack caused severe damage to the bridge’s main structure and 68 sections of its balustrades, disrupting the eight phases of conservation and restoration work that the ministry had carried out since 2015,” it added.
The bridge lies deep inside Cambodian territory. Local media reported that it is nearly 80km from the border battlefield and was not located immediately adjacent to the conflict zone.
International media reports on Dec 15 also documented Thai airstrikes penetrating more than 70km into Cambodian territory and targeting a bridge in the area.
The attack on a bridge dozens of kilometres from the border raised concerns that the conflict threatened not only civilians and modern infrastructure, but also ancient structures that stand as evidence of Cambodia’s history.
Spean Toap, also known as O’Chik Bridge, spans the Sreng River along an important ancient road that connected the Angkorian capital with Vimayapura, the ancient city associated with present-day Phimai temple in Thailand.
The bridge is believed to have been constructed during the reign of King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th or early 13th century. It measures approximately 150m long, 10m high and 16.4m wide, with 28 arched openings known as ron ta dev.
Because of its scale and architecture, Spean Toap is considered the longest bridge built during the reign of Jayavarman VII.
It formed part of an ancient road network connecting the centre of the Khmer Empire with its outlying regions.
The culture ministry began restoring the bridge in 2015 and completed eight phases of work before the fighting in late 2025 forced the project to be suspended.
The ministry has not yet disclosed when the next phase of restoration could begin, how much it would cost or whether technical assistance from international partners would be required.
Nevertheless, the ministry’s on-site inspection is as an considered an initial step towards assessing the extent of the damage and identifying measures needed to prevent further deterioration of the bridge’s structure.
In addition to Spean Toap, Sackona and her delegation inspected Prasat Prohm Kel, which was previously identified as an ancient hospital.
Local authorities are preparing to develop the site into a tourism destination in Oddar Meanchey province.
Conservation experts have yet to publicly release a comprehensive assessment of Spean Toap’s current structural capacity, or the risk of further collapse.
A detailed assessment will be essential to determine which sections require urgent reinforcement and which can be restored using appropriate conservation techniques.
Saving Spean Toap is not merely a matter of repairing a damaged structure. It is also about preserving evidence of the Khmer Empire’s ancient road network, architecture and engineering capabilities from more than 800 years ago — heritage that now faces threats from both wartime destruction and natural forces. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
