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Mekong Meanderings

The mighty Mekong river is the 12th longest river in the world. We have been lucky enough to have encountered it many times over the years as it has meandered through our journeys across South East Asia over the course of two trips in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam. And we learned some interesting facts about the Mekong river along with way.

The Mekong rises in Tibet and flows for nearly 5000km through China, Myanmar, Lao, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, where it runs into the South China sea. It’s a river that clearly has an enormous impact on the people who live on and around it. From a geographical perspective it has some amazing features. And, if you’re lucky, you can get to see some really special wildlife, notably the Irrawaddy dolphins that live in the river. Many people’s livelihoods depend on it. It also provides a rich source of food for the local people that live along it whether that is bounty from the river itself or the irrigation it provides for the farmers who work the land alongside it.

Lao – Luang Prabang

Our northernmost encounter with the river was when we started our journey through Lao PDR. Luang Prabang is a lovely laid-back town at the confluence of the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers. Each year, when the rivers flood, the bridge across the Nam Khan is washed away and it is reconstructed when the waters subside.

Luang Prabang Lao

Luang Prabang is the former capital of Lao and has plenty of places to see. There are lots of temples to visit as well as the royal palace which was built in 1904. When the monarchy was overthrown by the communists in 1975, the building converted into a museum and Lao’s capital was transferred to Vientiane.

Luang Prabang Lao

It’s possible to take an evening cruise on a longboat – motor upriver and then float downstream watching the sunset with a cool beer is a lovely and relaxing way to spend an evening.

Mekong sunset

Luang Prabang was also where we first encountered Lao food. A lunch of typical Lao delicacies included local river weed which we had seen for sale in Phosi market.

Facts about the Mekong river

It is flavoured with seasonings and then dried in the sun. It makes for a delicious snack which is incredibly moreish, especially with beers. We enjoyed a lunch of typical Laotian specialties at Tamarind restaurant which included the dried river weed. While the ‘PDR’ of the country’s name means ‘People’s Democratic Republic’ many locals say it stands for ‘Please Don’t Rush’, an invitation to enjoy eating at a leisurely pace.

Luang Prabang Lao

Lao – Vientiane

The Mekong traverses the border between Lao and Thailand before moving inland through Lao. Vientiane is the capital of Lao PDR and its largest city. Although it’s a city that is growing fast, it’s less hectic than the other capital cities in South East Asia.

The Mekong is broad and wide and Vientiane has a long promenade along its banks. You can see Thailand right on the other side of the river.

facts about the mekong river

In the evenings a bustling night market opens up on the river’s promenade.

We left Vientiane to travel further south. Our next encounter with the Mekong offered a complete contrast to the serenity of its flow through Lao’s capital.

Lao – Siphandone

Siphandone is a delightful stopping point in the Champasak Province in South Lao, close to the Cambodian border.  The river splits into multiple channels, leading to the formation of many islands – the name Siphandone means ‘4000 islands’.

The area is very beautiful but parts of it are also ephemeral as some of the smaller islands disappear under the water when the river is in flood during the rainy season. We spent a couple of lovely, relaxing days exploring Don Khong, the largest island. There are some nice walks and some interesting things to see, including the remnants of a railway, an initiative by the French colonial administration who wanted to make the Mekong navigable to China – Siphandone and the waterfalls just to the south proving to be the geographical blockers.

It may be possible to find local people who can take you out for a boat trip on the river in search of the rare and highly endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. These lovely creatures inhabit just a very small length of the river between southern Lao and northern Cambodia. According to the World Wide Fund for nature there are less than 100 dolphins left in this area.

Irrawaddy are an unusual looking dolphin – they have a more pronounced forehead than their seafaring counterparts and a smaller, broader beak. If they are around and you want to see them just head for a beach to find a boat. You can pay for the trip in cash.

The dolphins are quite tricky to photograph as you only really see them as they pop above the surface for air, but it is magical catching sight of them.

But mainly the area is a place to relax and explore at a sedate pace. It is very peaceful, especially in the evenings.

Lao – Khone Phapheng Waterfalls

Located just a few kilometres south of Siphandone are the Khone Phapheng falls. Due to the many, many channels that have formed at this point in the river these are the widest waterfalls in the world.

They are also the reason that the Mekong isn’t properly navigable from the South China Sea through to China. The rapids extend for a length of around 10km.

Several attempts were made to construct steamships that could scale the falls – with a lot of manual pulling – in the late 19th century. All of them failed. There were ideas to construct a canal with a series of locks around the falls but the expense was prohibitive so the railway was built – the idea being to deconstruct the boats, carry them on the trains via Siphandone and reassemble further upstream. Which sounds like a right faff, not an elegant engineering solution.

It is possible to walk along the banks of the falls and view the sheer might of the river at this section. There are restaurants and cafes in the area to enjoy a snack and a coffee while watching the falls.

There is a tree – the Manikhoth – which is highly revered by local people. It stood for centuries in the middle of the river, apparently defying the flow and gravity – with roots facing the sky.

Sadly, it was washed away in 2012 but was later recovered and it now exhibited by the riverbank.

Crossing into Cambodia

Siphandone is very close to the Lao/Cambodian border so we got a lift to the border and walked across into Cambodia. It looks like a thin line on a map but leaving one country and entering another by crossing ‘no man’s land’ is actually a walk of several hundred metres.

A word of warning: We got stung for extra cash by the border guards who issued our visas at the crossing. At the time a Cambodian visa cost $30US but, after the border guard had taken our passports, he demanded $35. We queried this but he was insistent. We didn’t have a signal on our phones to be able to confirm the cost. What were we going to do? He had our passports and we wanted to get into Cambodia. So we paid. Humph.

Chatting with ordinary Cambodian people later in our trip we learned that civil servants were not respected at all… and also understood the reason why they drive around in flashy cars. The guy pocketed $10 in 5 minutes. In Cambodia that’s a lot of money. In future we will check the costs beforehand and produce evidence from the official website. We will be polite but insistent.

Cambodia – Longboat to Stung Treng

Still, all those irritations melted away when we headed to the river again, picked up a long boat just a couple of kilometres from the border and embarked on a delightful journey along the Mekong.

It was a glorious three hours travelling along the most beautiful stretch of pristine river.

You can really understand how the flow of the river Mekong has shaped its environment and the flora that grows alongside it.

The roots of the trees cannot help but comply with the relentless force of the water’s flow.

We arrived in the northern Cambodian town of Steung Treng. There’s not a huge amount to see when you get there but the journey was simply sublime. Just out of town we visited a local women’s development centre, an initiative where women and offered the chance to learn how to weave silk. Accommodation is available and there is a primary school where the children can receive an education while their mums are learning new skills. Their beautiful products are available to buy and are both good quality and incredible value. It’s a great opportunity to contribute to the local community.

Cambodia – Kratie

We then made our way by road to Kratie, a much larger town with a very laid-back vibe. It lies right on the Mekong and the river is calm and broad. It has a pod of Irrawaddy dolphins that live nearby and it’s easy to pick up a tuk-tuk to reach their location a few kilometres outside of town and upriver. There are plenty of boats that offer trips to see them.

Mekong Kratie Cambodia

The water is somewhat murky and the dolphins here were also a touch elusive so getting a photo of them as they come up for air was quite tricky. So it was fun to sit back in the boat and enjoy watching them.

irawaddy dolphins

Back in town, Koh Trong island is one of the larger islands on the Mekong. You can pick up a ferry across to the island from the centre of Kratie and it takes a few minutes to make the crossing.

It’s possible to hire a scooter or a bicycle for just a few dollars and circumnavigate the island. It’s a really pleasant way to spend a morning or afternoon. Everyone was very friendly and waved to us as we cycled on the roads.

Cambodia – Lake Tonle Sap

Lake Tonle Sap

Tonle Sap has fascinating geographical features. It is located within a depression and as such its water levels are highly influenced by the flow of the Mekong; at certain times of the year the lake is fed by the river, at other times the flow reverses and flows into the Mekong along the Tonle Sap river. The river starts flowing into the lake during spring and the volume of water increases due to the monsoon during the rainy season which takes place between May and October. The rains can bring up to 4000mm of water.

The lake reaches its maximum area around November time and the water level will have risen by up to 10 metres. As the monsoon ends, lake Tonle Sap starts draining back into the Mekong via the Tonle Sap river, a journey of 120km. We visited in February when water levels were low – the lake’s depth can be as shallow as one metre – and you can see how the vegetation has adapted to this amazing natural cycle.

Lake Tonle Sap

Tonle Sap is around an hour’s drive from Siem Reap and Angkor Wat and it’s possible to enjoy a boat ride to visit some of the floating shops.

Cambodia – Phnom Penh

Cambodia’s capital city is the location of the confluence between the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. There is a legend that in the 14th century a widow named Penh discovered a tree which contained four statues of Buddha and one of Vishnu floating down the Tonle Sap river. She asked local villagers to increase the height of a nearby hill and established a temple there. The name Phnom Penh translates as ‘Penh’s hill’.

The centre of the Khmer empire moved to Phnom Penh after Angkor Thom was sacked sometime in the 17th century, although it formally became established as the capital in 1865 by King Norodom. It is a lively city. The river Mekong is broad and serene and there are plenty of walkways along its banks. The royal palace is located by the riverside.

Facts about the Mekong River

Vietnam – Mekong Delta into the South China Sea

The river then leaves Cambodia and flows into Vietnam. As it approaches the South China Sea it splits into what is known as Cuu Long, which translates as ‘Nine Dragons’, representing each of the channels that the river divides into.

The Mekong delta is vast and covers an area of about 40,5000 square kilometres. It is the rice basket of Vietnam, where two to three yields of rice can be grown each year.

It is possible to enjoy a cruise on the river. There are lots of options from a day trip to overnight stays. The easiest way to reach the Mekong Delta is to get transportation from Ho Chi Minh City – a 3-4 hour drive.

We enjoyed a leisurely two day cruise traditional style Bassac boat along the Sông Hậu branch of the river from Cần Thơ to Cái Bè.

Mekong Delta river cruise

It’s a lovely way of seeing the river and many boat trips offer land excursions where it’s possible to visit local villages which grow rice and fruit.

rice field
fruit platter

There are also onshore factories which manufacture sweets such as coconut candy, and rice paper.

rice paper

Mekong delta cruise

While we didn’t follow the river all the way from Lao to the South China Sea, the Mekong has meandered its way through many of our travels throughout South East Asia. It has provided diverse points of interest from the beautiful landscapes it has shaped, the wildlife that live in and around it, and the bountiful food it supplies. It is clear to see how much it has influenced the lives and livelihoods of the people who live on and around it.

Mekong Delta River Cruise - boat flag
Mekong Delta River Cruise
Luang Prabang Lao
Lunching in Luang Prabang, Lao
Visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia
Mekong Kratie Cambodia
Visit Kratie in Cambodia
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30 Comments

  1. Awesome post. I will be visiting the Mekong Delta this week in Vietnam. Your pictures are making me excited about travelling there and seeing it in person for real. It’s hard for me to grasp how huge it is but it’s nature at its best. The photos bring it to life for me too and I hope to get some as good as yours when I go.

    • Thank you! We’re very envious that you are headed to the Mekong Delta, we are sure you will love it there! It really is nature at its finest. Will look forward to seeing your photos!

  2. Of all the planet’s greatest rivers, Mekong has one of those literary pull like the Nile, the Congo, the Amazon, the Siene, etc…It makes you imagine and takes you to a different realm. Your post title does echo the meanderings you took both the physical and the mental or even, spiritual to some degree. I think its a matter of when should my meandering in the Mekong begin? Thanks for sharing Mitch and Colin 😉 Happy travels to us.

    Jan – https://flyingbaguette.com/

    • Thank you! Yes, the mighty Mekong is most definitely one of the world’s great rivers. It’s both fascinating and beguiling. It was a joy to have it meander through our journeys.Hope you get to meander one day, we are sure you will love it. Happy travels to us indeed, Jan!

  3. This is my dream threesome in Asia! I really want to travel these 3 countries and explore the culture of each one of them.
    Excellent tip on crossing the border. Crossing land borders can always be tricky.
    The photos made me even more eager to discover this part of the world, still so little explored by me, where everything will be new!

    • Hee! You’re right about the dream threesome in Asia! Do you hope get to visit there, there is so much to see and so many wonderful places to explore. The area has such a rich culture and history. Yes, crossing land borders can be difficult, we learned a lesson there.

  4. I so enjoyed reading this and the trip sounds wonderful. I’ve visited all of S E Asia but missed out Myanmar (entry difficult) and Laos ( hard to get connections to visit). I really want to get to Laos as I’ve heard so much about how enchanting Luang Prabang is and your pics show that too.
    It must have been a fabulous way to see the country from the river and it’s interesting how you say the landscape changes and has to deal with the overflowing Mekong.
    I approached PP from the south by road and you came from the north by river so the contrast between the two is interesting.
    This post has pushed me to fulfil my dream of exploring one of the 4 remaining countries I have left to complete my S E Asia travels.

    • Thank you so much for your kind words. It really was wonderful to experience the diversity of the Mekong river along so much of its route. I’m sure you would love Luang Prabang, it is a delightful city. I do hope you get to fulfil that dream of completing those SE Asia journies.

  5. Fascinating post, i love rivers and have posted about a few. I’d love to visit the Mekong at somd point in the Future.

    • Thank you. We loved exploring the Mekong – there were so many amazing places to visit along its path. Hope you get to visit one day, it is a magnificent river.

  6. We just left the Mekong weeks ago and already strangely miss it. Since you visited Siphandone the dolphins went extinct. You still have a chance to spot them in Kratie but that’s the only place on your list that we’ve skipped.

    • Such as shame about the Siphandone dolphins. We were very lucky indeed to see them. We absolutely loved the Mekong – such a fascinating river. We can understand that you miss it – we have great memories of our encounters with it.

  7. Wow! The temple in your first picture is absolutely stunning, but the trees are so COOL! I’ve never seen trees like that before. That is absolutely fascinating to see. I did not know they did that in the Mekong. I haven’t been to Southeast Asia so I definitely learned a lot with your post.

    • Thank you so much! The journey from the Cambodian border to Stung Treng was magical. We had never seen trees like that before either – you really could see how the force of the river’s flow shaped those roots.

  8. Is amazing to see the variety of places around the Mekong. I also had no idea how big it was. I should have gone to the Mekong delta when in Vietnam but I ran out of time. The rapids look really cool, and it would be amazing to see dolphins – close up photos or not that’s really awesome that you got to see them

    • Thank you. I know the feeling about running out of time on trips, there’s never enough time to see everything! Hope you enjoyed your trip to Vietnam, we loved it there. We were really privileged to see the dolphins, they are so endangered.

  9. Excellent breakdown guys. We have seen the Mighty Mekong in Luang Prubang, Vientiane and Phnom Penh. What a wide river! The width shocked me the most as I had never seen a river that spread so far to the other bank. Stunning. So much life feeds off of this epic river, as you noted.

    Ryan

    • Thank you, Ryan! Glad you too have visited the Mighty Mekong, it really is an amazing river and is so important to the lives of the people who live on and near it.

  10. Love this virtual journey along the Mekong River and learning all the fun facts. Water is so good for the soul. And those trees are fascinating.

    • Thank you so much! You’re right, water really is good for the soul. It was a great pleasure to have this magnificent river weave its way into our travels.

  11. I have never read anything about the Mekong River and I really enjoyed this post! It sounds fantastic with so much to see along the way. I love being on the water. It would be fun searching for the endangered dolphins and just watching the beautiful scenery go by.

    • Thank you! The Mekong really is a very special river – such diversity in the things to see on and around it. Seeing the dolphins was a real privilege.

  12. I’m intrigued to find out more about the Mekong area and how accessible it would be to organise a trip there. I gathered from your post that you visited the area a few times, did you travel by boat or along with a rented car? Did you take a guided tour? Hope it’s ok for me to ask but the Mekong is an area not many travel bloggers write about (or not that I’ve seen much content on it) so I’m interested how I would best plan and organise a visit there. Thanks for always taking me to unusual and lesser known places in the world tied in with new food adventures.

    Carolin | Solo Travel Story

    • Thank you for your kind words. We’re always very happy to answer questions! Yes, we visited the river over a couple of trips. As we were short on time and wanted to see as much as possible, we travelled using a combination of bus journeys and then guided tours to get to the more remote areas. Distances can be long and rural roads a bit slow, so the bus rides were sometimes several hours in length. We did manage to enjoy a couple of journeys along the river (aside from boat trips at particular locations to visit islands or see the wildlife) – from the Lao/Cambodian border to Stung Treng and the overnight cruise on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Both of these were pre-organised and are highly recommended.

  13. I did a Mekong Delta tour when I was in Vietnam years ago, but you two are so lucky to have seen so much more of this important river. I don’t remember seeing any dolphins, and you had several encounters! I appreciate all the history you’ve included in your post.

    • Thank you! Yes, we’ve been very lucky to see so much of the river, and particularly lucky to see the dolphins as they are so rare.

  14. Ohhh I do love a night market, and you captured this trip and river perfectly.

    The engineering levels weren’t very sharp with this one. That’s a lot of rigmarole deconstructing the boats just to put them back together again. Baffling but kinda cool.

    It was unfortunate the border guards decided to take advantage of you guys, and it really sucks when you’re in a situation like that. There’s nothing you can do, and you know they’re taking you for a fool.

    Still, it looks like you had a great adventure, and I’m loving those trees. Nature always finds a way.

    Awesome post, guys.

    Luke.

    • Thank you! We loved those trees too. It was a really magical journey and such an amazing section of river. Yes, we got caught out with the border guards. We’ve learned a lesson so will be aware next time. It was interesting that they tried to make the Mekong navigable but the engineering wasn’t really up to it – nature defeated them!

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