Early Years

Growing up in Cambodia in the 1950s and 60s, Ly-Sieng Ngo led a peaceful and privileged life. She was the daughter of a large, wealthy merchant family of Chinese background. The family was attended by more than 50 servants, all belonging to the Khmer majority ethnic group. Ly-Sieng went to expensive private schools, and learned several languages (Khmer, Cantonese, Mandarin, French, and English). In 1968 she earned a degree from the Fashion Design School in Phnom Penh, the country's capital. Her future looked bright, expansive. The possibilities were exciting. And then, the Khmer Rouge came.