Photo by K on Pexels
Stories from the river
Stories and in-depth features on the Mekong: its floods, festivals and wildlife, and what dams change for the people who live there and those who visit.
All Mekong River stories
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Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels
River issuesFourteen dams on the Mekong, and a river 4 meters higher in March at Luang Prabang
Twelve dams in operation on the Chinese stretch, two in Laos, more under construction: the Mekong has become a heavily dammed river. Here is what is known about their effects, with figures and sources.
Updated October 13, 2026 · 12 min
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Photo by Pierre André on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nature and wildlifeIrrawaddy dolphins: about a hundred in the Mekong, and a population on the rise
About a hundred dolphins still live in the Mekong, along a stretch of river of some 110 miles in Cambodia. Their numbers have been rising for a few years, but they have already disappeared from Laos.
Updated October 13, 2026 · 5 min
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Photo by Tambe on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nature and wildlifeThe Mekong giant catfish: 600 pounds, toothless and critically endangered
It can grow longer than 10 feet and heavier than 600 pounds, loses its teeth as it grows and feeds on algae. The Mekong giant catfish lives nowhere but the Mekong basin, where it is now critically endangered.
Updated October 13, 2026 · 5 min
Understanding the Mekong
Our reference pages on the Mekong: its length, its source, the countries it crosses, its floods.