Mekong River Trade

Southeast Asia's mother river, a working waterway of six countries governed by upstream dams.

Overview

From the Tibetan plateau through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the Mekong moves bulk cargo, sand, rice, fertilizer and maize on barges, with large vessels reaching Phnom Penh and Chinese-backed channel improvements letting 500-tonne boats reach Chiang Saen in Thailand. China's upstream dam cascade now controls dry-season flows, and the Laotian mainstream dams block fish migration in the world's largest inland fishery, which feeds the basin's protein supply. Navigation, hydropower and fisheries collide in every regional meeting, and the river remains the region's most contested piece of infrastructure.