Lon Nol was the province's governor in 1945. During the Vietnam and Cambodian Civil Wars and the subsequent Vietnamese presence against Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, intense fighting took place in Kratié. Operation Menu, the 1969-1970 United States bombing campaign targeting Vietnamese supply routes and bases in Cambodia and Laos, resulted in heavy bombardment of Kratié. Recovering unexploded ordnance and de-mining has been a major initiative since at least the mid-2000s.