Sisophon

Serei Sophon (Khmer:សិរីសោភ័ណ, Khmer pronunciation: [seʔrǝi saopʰoə̯n]) is the capital provincial city of Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia. The city separates Cambodia's National Highway 5 and National Highway 6. Its administrative name is "Serei Sophon" as used by the government. It has two informal nicknames. The first nickname "Sisophon" is used by the locals. It is much more commonly used than its administrative name even it is written on road signs. It derived from the Thai pronunciation "Sri Sophon" when it was under the Thai rule. The second nickname "Svay" is used mainly by truck drivers, train drivers and workers transporting goods. The origin of the word "Svay is unknown. Its population is 61,482 in the 1998 census, changing little to 61,631 in the 2008 census having been overtaken by Poipet in size.