Early Cambodian immigration to France began in the latter half of the 19th century , when Cambodia became a French protectorate . The first migrants largely consisted of students and workers belonging to the country 's elite class . While most Cambodians arrived as refugees as a result of Indochina 's heavy turmoil during the latter half of the 20th century , their large-scale arrival was later than other Indochinese immigrants . Although a few Cambodians were able to flee from the Khmer Rouge takeover in 1975 with French assistance , a much larger influx arrived in the 1980s following the regime collapse and end of the Cambodian genocide
Cambodian genocide
Cambodian genocide
Asian French