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A blue and white slow boat on the river, below wooded hills

Photo by Swapnil kulkarni on Unsplash

Mekong River stops, from upstream to downstream

20 towns and villages along the river, from Yunnan to the delta, in the direction of the current. Each guide covers what to do, where to stay and how to reach the next stop.

By Pierre-Marie Coupry · updated · sources

Rather search by country? The Mekong country by country

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Numbered from upstream to downstream. When two stops face each other across the river, the number is offset.
Show the 20 stops on the map
CHINAMYANMARTHAILANDLAOSCAMBODIAVIETNAMSouthChina Sea1234567891011121314151617181920Natural Earth
Numbered from upstream to downstream. When two stops face each other across the river, the number is offset.

The upper Mekong, in China

Here the river is still called the Lancang. It leaves the gorges of Yunnan for the plains of Xishuangbanna.

  1. The Mekong at Jinghong at sunset, the city's towers on the bank

    Photo by Shutterstock

    Jinghong · China

    Capital of Xishuangbanna, in Yunnan. The last big stop before the Golden Triangle.

    • Yunnan

The Golden Triangle and the slow boat

The river separates Thailand from Laos, then enters Laos. Two days by slow boat to Luang Prabang.

  1. The golden Buddha of the Golden Triangle above the Mekong bank at Sop Ruak

    Photo by Shutterstock

    Chiang Saen · Thailand

    An old town on the riverbank, a few kilometers from the Golden Triangle.

    • Golden Triangle
  2. Long-tail boats moored on the Mekong bank at Chiang Khong, with the Lao bank opposite

    Photo by Gerd Eichmann on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Chiang Khong · Thailand

    The Thai side of the 4th Friendship Bridge, across from Huay Xai.

    • Border
  3. Huay Xai seen from the river, houses below the hills and a temple on the height

    Photo by Tango7174 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Huay Xai · Laos

    The gateway to Laos from Thailand. Where the slow boat leaves.

    • Border
    • Slow boat
  4. Pirogues and a slow boat on the Mekong at Pakbeng, among the rocks, late in the day

    Photo by Shutterstock

    Pakbeng · Laos

    A village stepped up the riverbank, the overnight halfway stop of the slow boat.

    • Slow boat
  5. Haw Pha Bang, the temple of the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang, lit up at nightfall

    Photo by Mon Jester on Unsplash

    Luang Prabang · Laos

    The former royal capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    • UNESCO
    • Slow boat

The border Mekong, from Vientiane to Savannakhet

For hundreds of kilometers, the river separates Laos from Thailand. The Friendship Bridges link the two banks.

  1. The Mekong at dusk, seen from the Vientiane riverbank

    Photo by Christophe95 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Vientiane · Laos

    The capital, facing Thailand, along a riverbank turned into a promenade.

    • Border
  2. Green and gold naga statues on the Mekong promenade in Nong Khai

    Photo by Christophe95 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Nong Khai · Thailand

    Across from Vientiane, at the end of the Friendship Bridge. The naga fireballs at the end of Buddhist Lent.

    • Border
    • Festival
  3. Wat Mahathat in Nakhon Phanom at sunset, its gilded gate and white and gold chedi

    Photo by JayaJoe on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Nakhon Phanom · Thailand

    A riverside promenade facing the mountains of Laos. 3rd Friendship Bridge to Thakhek.

    • Border
  4. Lit stalactites and a walkway over the water in a Khammouane cave

    Photo by Shutterstock

    Thakhek · Laos

    The starting point for the Thakhek Loop and Kong Lor Cave.

    • Border
  5. Arcaded shophouses on Talat Yen, the old market square in Savannakhet's colonial quarter

    Photo by Adriaan Castermans on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Savannakhet · Laos

    A quiet old colonial town, with a bridge to Mukdahan in Thailand.

    • Border

Southern Laos and the 4,000 Islands

The river widens, splits into channels and islands, then hits the Khone Falls.

  1. The golden Buddha of Phou Salao facing the Mekong, the Lao-Japanese bridge and Pakse

    Photo by Shutterstock

    Paksé · Laos

    The crossroads of the south, where the Xe Don joins. A base for the Bolaven Plateau.

  2. The path lined with stone posts leading up to Vat Phou, at the foot of Phou Kao

    Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Champasak · Laos

    Wat Phou, a Khmer temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    • UNESCO
  3. The Mekong split into many channels between forested islands, seen from the air, in the 4,000 Islands

    Photo by Shutterstock

    Si Phan Don · Laos

    Inhabited islands and the Khone Falls, just before the Cambodian border.

    • Khone Falls

Cambodia, the wide river

Fewer tourists, a huge river, and the last Irrawaddy dolphins.

  1. The bow of a boat flying the Cambodian flag on the flooded Mekong, north of Stung Treng

    Photo by Christian Pirkl on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Stung Treng · Cambodia

    The first Cambodian town after the border, where the Sekong joins.

    • Border
  2. Sunset over the Mekong at Kratie under a cloudy sky

    Photo by Jakub Hałun on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Kratie · Cambodia

    The Irrawaddy dolphins, a few kilometers upstream of town.

    • Dolphins
  3. The sun sets behind the Phnom Penh skyline, a boat on the river in the foreground

    Photo by Shutterstock

    Phnom Penh · Cambodia

    The capital, where the Mekong meets the Tonle Sap.

    • Cruises

The delta, in Vietnam

The river splits into branches down to the sea. You get around by boat between canals, orchards and markets.

  1. Two old wooden boats moored on the Bassac at Chau Doc

    Photo by Florian Delée on Unsplash

    Châu Đốc · Vietnam

    The first town in the delta when you arrive from Cambodia by river.

    • Border
  2. Two rowboats carrying visitors in life jackets on the Hau River, backlit in front of the Can Tho cable-stayed bridge

    Photo by Monika Guzikowska on Unsplash

    Cần Thơ · Vietnam

    The delta's big city and its floating markets.

    • Floating markets
  3. Canals winding between orchards and coconut palms in the delta, seen from the air

    Photo by Shutterstock

    Bến Tre · Vietnam

    Coconut groves, orchards and canals, on an eastern branch of the delta.

Linking Mekong River stops

The river is rarely traveled in one go. Three itineraries that link the stops, by boat whenever possible.

Laos and Cambodia in 3 weeks

21 days · from Luang Prabang to Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh – Châu Đốc by river

1 to 2 days · Kaam Samnor – Vĩnh Xương border

All itineraries →

Questions about Mekong River stops

Can you travel down the Mekong by boat from one stop to the next?
Only partly. The slow boat links Huay Xai and Luang Prabang in two days, and a speedboat runs down from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc in Vietnam, border included. Elsewhere, trains, buses and minibuses take over: the Khone Falls block navigation, and no scheduled boat runs from Kratie to Phnom Penh any more.
How long does it take to get from Luang Prabang to the delta?
Added up, the journeys between our stops, from the Luang Prabang train to the Chau Doc bus to Can Tho, come to about forty hours. With one or two nights per stop, three weeks lets you see it all; two are enough if you skip a few stops.
Which stop should you choose for a first trip?
Start with one of the stops shown in black on each country map: Luang Prabang in Laos, Kratie and Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Can Tho in Vietnam. They offer the most to see and the simplest connections.