The camp opened in April 1970 and was run by the Sisters. On 14-23 May 1970: it was the biggest camp in Phnom Penh, housing about 12.000 refugees. The Cambodian government tried to improve the situation by opening smaller camps in several primary and secondary schools, but the Vietnamese refugees preferred to live there, in spite of the crowded conditions, because it was located opposite the quay and was thus considered safer than camps inside the city (ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-02). On 8 June 1970: the population reached 13.800 persons (2.100 families), according to the statistics provided by the representative of the Ministry of Social Action of South Vietnam, Nguyen Van Hien Note (no. 594, 11 June 1970, ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-02). At its peak in early July 1970: La Providence housed over 15.000 refugees, mostly from the Phnom Penh region. On 13 July 1970: there were 12.000 left. The International Committee for the Red Cross delegation described the conditions as precarious. There was a shortage of foodstuffs, medicines, and disinfectants. The weekly death rate among babies reached 3 to 4. Medical care was provided by a French doctor, a Cambodian doctor, and four South-Vietnamese first-aid workers (working in shifts of four weeks). The Cambodian Red Cross staff were overwhelmed by the number of refugees. The South Vietnamese delegation did its best to evacuate the refugees before the beginning of the rainy season since each rain had dramatic consequences (note no. 633, 21 July 1970, ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-03). The situation improved after the departure of 7.000 refugees on 31 July and 1 August 1970. On 11 August 1970: it was one of the camps visited by the South Vietnamese delegation from Saigon, led by Minister Phan Quang Dan, President of the National Committee of Rescue of Vietnamese Refugees (Le Cambodge Économique, nos. 61-62, 11-14 August 1970, p. 7). The camp was shut down in October 1970 (note no. 1497, 6 October 1970, ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-02).

Refugee camp run by Catholic clergy The Church of the Sisters of La Providence was built in the early 1900s. It included a convent, a chapel, a hospice, an orphanage, a girls school, and a cemetery in the vicinity.

Phnom Penh, Kandal Province, Cambodia

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