Mekong River

Mekong River

The Mekong River (Mekong River) has a main stream length of 4,180 kilometers, making it the tenth longest river in the world. It originates from Zaduo County in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, China. It flows through Yunnan Province in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and empties into the South China Sea at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. It is one of Asia’s most important transnational river systems. The upper reaches of the Mekong River are within China and are called the Lancang River, while the downstream delta lies within Vietnam. As the river exits into the South China Sea from Vietnam via nine estuaries, it is referred to in Vietnam as the Nine-Dragon River. The total length is 2,139 kilometers.

The Lancang-Mekong region is located at the junction of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Southwest China, serving as a land bridge connecting ASEAN and China. In 1995, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to manage and collaboratively utilize the resources of the Mekong River. In 1996, China and Myanmar became dialogue partners of the Mekong River Commission. Now, these six countries are working together under a cooperative framework to effectively utilize the Lancang-Mekong River.

The Lancang-Mekong River basin covers a vast area and features numerous spectacular and beautiful scenic spots along its course. In northwestern Yunnan Province, China, it forms the rare natural geographical phenomenon known as the “Three Parallel Rivers,” where the Jinsha River, Nujiang River, and Lancang River flow in parallel without converging. Among them, the shortest straight-line distance between the Lancang River and the Jinsha River is 66 kilometers, and that between the Lancang River and the Nujiang River is less than 19 kilometers. On July 2, 2003, the 27th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee unanimously decided to inscribe the “Three Parallel Rivers” natural landscape on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Within Laos, the river basin spans 202,000 square kilometers, with an average annual discharge of 5,270 cubic meters per second, giving rise to the famous Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands) and the Khone Falls. The Khone Falls, located on the southern border of Laos, stretch 10 kilometers wide, with a flood-season drop of 15 meters and a dry-season drop of 24 meters. They are the largest falls on the Mekong River and also feature the highest water flow of any waterfall in the world.

Mekong River

Reason to visit: Asia’s most important transnational river system

Continent where the attraction is located: Asia 【Asia】

Country/region where the attraction is located: Laos [Laos]

Province/state where the attraction is located: Champasak Province and Salavan Province [Champasak Province and Salavan Province]