What is the Mekong?

The Mekong is a great river in Southeast Asia.

It rises on the Tibetan Plateau and flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before reaching the South China Sea through the Mekong Delta. In China, the river is known as the Lancang River. Its basin supports hundreds of millions of people and is central to farming, fishing, transport, and regional trade.

The Mekong is one of Asia's major rivers and is known for dramatic seasonal changes in water level. The annual monsoon cycle helps nourish floodplains and rice-growing areas. Cambodia's Tonlé Sap system is especially connected to the river: seasonal flow reversals help expand the lake and sustain one of the world's most productive inland fisheries.

The river is sometimes confused with the Mekong Delta, which is only the low-lying region where the river divides before entering the sea. Modern dams and changing rainfall patterns have raised concerns about sediment, fish migration, drought, and the livelihoods that depend on the river.