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The Laotian Mekong

  • Laos
    Savannakhet, Laos
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The Laotian Mekong

Thailand across the Mekong from Huay XaiMore Photos
Moving, flowing destinations with quietly implied adventures, rivers are the ultimate destination for travelers. More than anything else, the Mekong is a human river, countless cultures and civilizations were born, grew up and gave way to others on its shores; crossing Laos along its whole length, it offers an awesome encounter with this landlocked country.

Geography

The Mekong is considered to be the tenth-longest river in the world, and the tenth-largest by volume. Despite the problematic definition of the term (because there are several tributaries), its estimated length is slightly less than five thousand kilometers, and it drains an area of over 800,000 square kilometers. Many rapids and waterfalls, as well as a flow varying wildly during the seasons make a complete navigation of the river impossible.

Politics

The Mekong originates high on the Tibetan Plateau and runs through Yunnan in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The common name of the river originates in the Thai language: Mae Nam Khong (or Mekong for short) means "Mother of Rivers."

Roughly half of its length is within modern China. After leaving China, the river forms the border between Myanmar and Laos, at the end of which it meets the Ruak River at the Golden Triangle. This point also marks the division between the Upper and Lower Mekong. Then, it divides Laos and Thailand, before a stretch passing through Laos alone, where it reaches during the high season a width of over four kilometers and a depth of a hundred meters.

It marks the Lao-Thai border in the stretch passing Vientiane, the Laotian capital, and then it passes again through a short stretch through Laos alone until the Cambodian border; this is an area known as the Si Phan Don (four thousand islands) region. In Cambodia it meets the Tonle Sap River next to Phnom Penh. The Tonle Sap connects to a huge lake of the same name in northern Cambodia; the complex system can flow in both directions depending on the season and the relative height of both rivers. South of the union of both rivers, it is known as the Bassac and flows into Vietnam and the Mekong Delta. The nine estuaries of the delta are the origin to the Vietnamese name: Sông Cuu, or namely the River of Nine Dragons. Roughly a hundred million people rely on the river for the growth of rice, which is the main crop of the area.

Lucky Unfitness

The French intended to use the Mekong as a transport hub from colonial Indochina into China; a landlocked counterweight to British Hong Kong and Portuguese Macau. In 1866, the Francis Garnier Mekong expedition studied the possibility for a couple of years, but concluded the river was not navigable due to obstacles in southern China and northern Cambodia; thus the river was saved for future tourists and its denizens.

Natural Life

In northern Laos, the Mekong is home to the endangered Giant Mekong Catfish while the Si Phan Don (four thousand islands) region hosts groups of the very rare Irrawady fresh water dolphins. These are quite a sight since they feature short snouts and a dark color; they hardly resemble our mental picture of a dolphin. The tigers, elephants, monkeys, crocodiles and boas reported by Garnier are gone; deforestation is a malady of certain areas, though in Laos there are serious efforts to reforest large parts of the country.

Bridges

In the Lower Mekong, the best known bridge is the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, which connects Nong Khai with Vientiane in Laos. The Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge is south of there and connects Mukdahan in Thailand to Savannakhet. Within Laos there is another bridge near Champosak.

Human Presence

Settlements dating back to 2100BC have been found around the river, with Ban Chiang being the oldest one. Following the fall of the Khmer empire, the Mekong was the frontier between states of Siam and Tonkin (Northern Vietnam). The French captured Saigon in the mid-19th century, established a protectorate over Cambodia in 1863 and then took the three Laotian principalities from the Siamese in the late nineteen century. They added a distinctive colonial touch to these cultures; the colonial reality lasted until the First and Second Indochina Wars ended French and American involvement in the region.

Festivals

The Naga festival in Nong Khai and Vientiane celebrates balls of light rising from the water and attributed to underwater dragon-serpents (Nagas).

Main Stops along the Laotian Mekong

The Mekong is navigable from Jinghong southwards, though within Laos it is possible to travel on boat mainly from Huay Xai southwards; an exciting option is to cross over the river to Cambodia crossing the Four Thousand Islands region. The river can be explored on small boats – fast and slow ones – or in organized cruises including suites with private bathrooms, showers and air conditioners. Needless to say, the small boats provide a better experience of the area.

Huay Xai

Huay Xai is a small town just south of the Golden Triangle. Historically it belonged to Thailand and was passed to Laos as part of the settlement of borders with the French. Even today it looks more Thai than Lao and is better connected to Thailand than to Laos. It can be reached overland from Luang Namtha or through the river from Chiang Khong in Thailand. Huay Xai delimits the northern edge of the lower Mekong; regular boats connect it with Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang

The way to Luang Prabang crosses Pak Beng, a small, traditional village that can provide a revitalizing break. Luang Prabang was the former capital of the northern Laotian principality and is nowadays a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The small town is much more compact than the typical Lao town and can thus be leisurely explored by foot within a day.

Vientiane

The Laotian capital features some of the mighty river best sights; including awesome sunsets over the Thai town of Srichiangmai, displaying every day different colors. Few cities provide such a fusion of local culture with the colonial one; the French restaurants and architecture seem as at home here as on the Champs-Élysées while friendly sharing the space with durian fruits and noodle soup stalls.

Twenty kilometers south of town, the river can be crossed over the international bridge; since each country drives on a different side of the road, the traffic arrangement are rather amusing.

Savannakhet and Pakse

Savannakhet and Pakse are the main cities along the Mekong in southern Laos. The Champosak ruins are the main sight in this stretch of the river. Chong Mek – the only overland border cross between Thailand and Laos can be easily reached from Pakse.

Si Phan Don

Si Phan Don (four thousand islands) is a shallow area of the river separating Laos from Cambodia and featuring endless islets. It is the wildest and most attractive area of the river in Laos, still covered with tall tropical trees talking among them with the help of huge wild parrots.
From journal Savannakhet is Not a Savannah