In the heart of the nineteenth century, Cambodia stood on the brink of the abyss, caught in a vice between the expansionist ambitions of Vietnam and Siam.

The history of the Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) is deeply linked to that of the Khmer Empire, both through a dynamic of military confrontation and through an extraordinary cultural and institutional heritage. Their shared evolution has helped shape the identity and geopolitics of the entire continental region of Southeast Asia.