Which waterfall in Laos is formed by the Mekong River near the Cambodian border?

Khone Phapheng Falls is the Mekong River waterfall in Laos near the Cambodian border.

Located in Champasak Province, the falls consist of a broad series of rapids and cascades rather than one narrow vertical plunge. They are among the largest waterfalls by volume in Southeast Asia, and the Mekong’s flow can increase greatly during the monsoon season.

Khone Phapheng forms part of the Khone Falls system in the Si Phan Don, or “Four Thousand Islands,” region. The difficult rapids historically blocked navigation along the Mekong, helping explain why the French built the narrow-gauge Don Det–Don Khon railway in the colonial era.

Nearby Li Phi Falls is another major cascade in the same river system. The two names are sometimes confused, but Khone Phapheng is the principal waterfall on the Laos side closest to the Cambodian frontier.