In 1978, following Khmer Rouge tension with Vietnam, Tan, who had been living in nearby Prey Veng province, was sent away to Pursat, in the west of the country.
Pursat is home to Wat Bakan, considered to be among the oldest active pagodas in Cambodia and revered as one of the most holy sites of Cambodian Buddhism.
To the west of the railway there are few settlements and the foothills of Phnom Aural rise in the north west, although the peak itself is just over the border in Pursat Province.