Chhang akaberekwa musi wa22 Ndira 1961 muTuol Kouk District, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Aiva gotwe pavana vapfumbamwe. Baba vake vakanga vari mutengesi wamatombo anokosha. Musi wa17 Kubvumbi 1975, zuva rakadonha Phnom Penh, Chhang aive ega kumba, uye akaparadzaniswa nemhuri yake mukutevera kweKhmer Rouge-akarayira kubviswa kweguta. Akafamba achienda kuTakeo Province, achiziva kuti musha waamai vake waiva kune imwe nzvimbo pedyo nePhnom Chisor. Vanhu vomumusha vakamudzivirira kusvikira amai vake vasvika, vasina kuzivisa mukuru wemusha weKhmer Rouge nezvekuvapo kwake, asi mushure mekusvika kwaamai vake, iye nenhengo dzemhuri yake vakatumirwa kumusasa wevashandi kuchamhembe kwakadziva kumadokero kwenyika, mune yazvino Banteay Meanchey Province. Pashure pokupinda kweVietnam muCambodia
, akadzokera kuPhnom Penh, asi ipapo, pakukurudzira kwamai vake, akatiza Cambodia ndokupinda muThailand yakavakidzana. Akagara mumusasa wevapoteri weKhao-I-Dang kwemakore anoverengeka kusvikira muna 1985 paakasarudzwa kuti agarezve muUnited States, uye pashure penguva yakati achigara mumusasa wokudzidzisa uye kudzidzisa muPhilippines, akasvika muUnited States muna 1986.