An independent guide to the Mekong
Who writes this guide, how we check what we publish, how the site is funded, and why its name sounds like a nonprofit's.
Who writes this guide
Our principles
This guide follows the river rather than the countries. It's written for people planning their trip and for those already there, phone in hand.
What you'll find here
- Sourced, dated figures: climate, river level, prices, schedules.
- A clear opinion: who it's for, and who it isn't for.
- What the brochures leave out: the season when a trip gets rough, the stop you can skip.
- Slow travel first: slow boat, train and bus before flying, whenever possible.
What you won't find
- Content paid for by a hotel, a cruise operator or a tourism board.
- Paid rankings: no business pays to be listed here.
- Ads, pop-ups or fake countdown timers.
Our method
We don't test every hotel or every cruise. We check what we write, and we say so when something still needs to be confirmed.
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Start with official sources
The Mekong River Commission for the river, Open-Meteo for the climate, France Diplomatie for safety, operators' websites for schedules and boats.
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Cross-check
A figure that shows up in only one source stays flagged “to be checked” until it's confirmed.
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Date everything
Every price and every schedule carries the date it was checked. Lodging prices and ratings are checked regularly.
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Proofread line by line
Before publishing, a second read checks every sentence against its source.
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Fix fast
A reported error gets fixed, and the update date only changes when the content does.
How the site is funded
The site runs on affiliate links. When you book after clicking one of our links, the platform pays us a commission. You pay the same price.
These links are always labeled “affiliate link.” A commission doesn't change our opinion: a hotel that isn't a good fit stays not recommended, even if it's on Booking. In the cruise comparison, cruises you can book through our partners are shown first.
- Lodging
- Booking.com
- Activities
- GetYourGuide
- Buses, trains, boats
- 12Go
- Flights
- Aviasales (Travelpayouts)
- Cruises
- CruiseDirect (via CJ)
Why this domain name
The savethemekong.org address was first used by a coalition of NGOs, local groups and researchers, founded in 2009 to raise the alarm about dams on the river.
The domain has since changed hands twice. The first new owner used it for content unrelated to the Mekong. SM4B then bought it to bring it back to its home region.
This guide keeps some of its values: it puts slow travel first, boats, trains and buses rather than planes, and activities that respect the river and the people who live from it.
We have no connection with the coalition and reuse none of its content. It continues its work on its own website.
Contact us
A mistake, something that changed
A schedule, a price, a closure: let us know, and we'll fix it and date the update.
[email protected]Publisher
SM4B, SASU, Guérande (Loire-Atlantique, France). Publishing director: Pierre-Marie Coupry.
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