Chong Kneas consists of eight villages with a total population of about 6,415, of whom 1,878 (29%) are of Vietnamese ethnicity. The residents live in house boats or makeshift houses made of natural materials from the surrounding forest. A few live in more substantial fixed houses of varying standards. Depending on the time of year, house boats are located either on the lake or adjacent to the embankment running south from Phnom Kraom. The entire community, apart from those in the fixed houses, moves throughout the course of the year in response to the changes in water level of the lake. Although the community contains a range of income groups, most members are poor and live in unhealthy surroundings with limited access to education, health services, and other facilities such as drinking water and sanitation. The community is ethnically diverse, comprising Khmer, Cham, and Vietnamese.