The Mekong is an ancestral natural wealth of Southeast Asia and particularly of Cambodia. Its name comes from the association of Khmer words: មេ Maé + គង្គ Kôngk which means "Mother of Waters". The river, of a length estimated between 4,350 and 4,900 kilometers depending on its source, crosses six countries namely China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It covers a basin populated by 60 million inhabitants living in contact with it, working in fishing or rice farming among other occupations. Beyond the majority peoples from the territories mentioned, more than 90 ethnic groups and minorities inhabit the banks of the Mekong.

Fishing is by far the primary activity of these inhabitants. Fish, seafood, mollusks, and other living beings caught and consumed in the thousands of villages along the riverbank represent 80% of all the proteins they consume. This activity in the Mekong basin accounts for 2% of global fishing, an astounding figure for a single river.

This legendary river crosses Cambodia from north to south for more than 480 kilometers between the turbulent currents at the Laotian border of Si Phan Don and the Vietnamese border. It has been integral to the country's culture for millennia, and particularly in the 6 provinces it flows through: Phnom Penh, Kandal, Prey Veng, Kampong Cham, Steung Treng, and Kratié. The sections of the Mekong in these last two regions are indeed world-renowned for the presence of Irrawaddy dolphins.

A History Linked to France and the Indochinese Protectorates

Going up the Mekong became, after the Indochina War (1946–1954), a popular expression among French soldiers returning from the front. It meant remembering shared experiences that new generations had never known. The expression didn't gain wide popular success because Charles Aznavour erased it from memory about fifteen years later with his work La Bohème and its now-famous maxim: "I'm telling you about a time that those under 20 cannot know."

Regardless, this expression was clearly inspired by fantasies of exoticism, in the purest and most Western sense, fully indulged by a host of European adventurers and explorers. Starting from the Vietnamese delta, the Portuguese first attempted it in the 16th century, followed by the Dutch, before the French took an interest in the region. Botanists, explorers, naturalists, and historians went there during the second half of the 19th century, fascinated by the size of this river that grew longer in everyone's mind as discoveries accumulated. After establishing a protectorate in Cambodia in 1863, explorers, led by Ernest Doudart de Lagrée, accompanied by writer Francis Garnier, attempted to go up the Mekong, which they successfully did to Luang Prabang. Three decades later, another French protectorate was established there. Few of these nature enthusiasts, however, ventured beyond the Chinese Yunnan region.

Many accounts emerged from these expeditions, introducing Europe to the Mekong and forging the myth of a gigantic river crossing an entire region of the globe and a vast section of the Asian continent. Today it represents the 10th river in the world in terms of discharge. Being unsure of the exact position of its source, it ranks between 8th and 11th in the world in terms of length. Swiss and Dutch explorers Luciano Lepre and Peter Neele demonstrated in 2013 that its source would be higher than previously thought.

The River Celebrated Every Year

Strongly linked to current and ancestral popular culture, the Mekong today enjoys numerous local and national celebrations. During the Water Festival for example, organized every year in November, the capital Phnom Penh fills with festivities for 4 days during which inhabitants from Cambodian provinces come to watch dragon boat races. The country celebrates at this time the reversal of the current of the Tonlé Sap river, a tributary of the Mekong. The confluence between the two is located in Phnom Penh. During this period, the Tonlé Sap flows from its lake, of the same name, Southeast Asia's largest, into the Mekong. Six months later, in May, the latter, now in flood, feeds the Tonlé Sap river which this time flows back upstream to its source for the following six months. The cycle, continuous for millennia, regulates the life and behavior of inhabitants near the banks of these two waterways.

All 25 provinces of the country come to compete on the river, cheered on by supporters present on the bridges and banks of the river. Competitors train for a few months each year in their village for the event. Sometimes in the water, sometimes on land when logistics aren't sufficient. Some provinces are notably more represented than others among the roughly 400 boats that register for the various competitions. It's no surprise that Prey Veng, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, and Kampong Thom are among them, notably because these areas are crossed respectively by the Mekong and Tonlé Sap. Training in the currents is therefore all the easier. The event is extremely popular and broadcast by most local and international media on the ground.

A Natural Divide

The Mekong literally cuts Cambodia in two. A much more central part oriented to the west and a smaller part to the east. Only three road bridges allow crossing this river today. The Mekong Bridge at Stung Treng, the Kizuna Bridge at Kampong Cham, the Prek Tamak Bridge at Kandal, and the Neak Luong Bridge at Prey Veng. They are the only possible road crossing points to the country's east. Of course, today and for a long time, river transport has been operating at full capacity to cross from one bank of the Mekong to the other. You can, particularly in Phnom Penh, cross it while leaving your motorbike, car or even your tuk-tuk on the boat's bridge!