This district consists of the northern and north-eastern outskirts of the main city of Phnom Penh, stretching from Khan Sen Sok in the west to the Tonlé Sap River in the east.

The Khmer King Batum Soryavong then came to help these settlements, and invited the monk to settle in Angkor with the statue of the Emerald Buddha,[2] the Phra Kaeo Morakot, etiologically giving its name to the area.

[3] Russey Keo, on the banks of the Tonle Sap River, is where the Dutch merchants established in the 17th century, given its name to one of the neighbourhoods of the district, Hoaland.

[4] Russey Keo district, soon became a gathering point for Annamites of all religious persuasions, the home of Phnom Penh cathedral and many pagodas.

In March 1991, the People's Committee of Phnom Penh recommended the dredging of zones in Russey Keo, and in May 1991, the  Cabinet Council of Ministers of Cambodia authorized the pumping of sand to enlarge the city.