The Mekong Delta in Vietnam is heavily cultivated and has little remaining natural vegetation. The forest cover is less than 10%. In Vietnam's Central Highlands, forest cover declined from over 95% in the 1950s to roughly 50% in the mid-1990s. Land use and landscape change are mostly driven by agricultural growth and population pressure. Drought and flooding are both frequent risks in the Delta, which many feel is the most vulnerable to upstream hydrologic change. Geology
There are several ways to cross a border, and I've attempted many of them over the course of my years traveling: by bike, bus, train, airline, and even ferry, but this was my first time crossing a border by boat!!
In May 2014, I spent a month in Thailand, in Chiang Mai, learning Thai Massage. Initially, my idea was to spend a month in the country, return home, and start a little company with that, but as you know, having plans is one thing; following through on them is quite another, at least in my life. Thus, after an incredible month in Chiang Mai, I was ready to go on a journey across Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia with a gentleman I had just met. The day after I decided to join him, I spoke with one of the girls at my massage school, and she decided to join us as well!!
As the Mekong approaches Cambodia, it has already absorbed almost 95% of its flows.
[11] From here on downstream, the terrain is flat, and the passage of water through the landscape is determined by water levels rather than flow quantities. Seasonal fluctuations in water levels in Phnom Penh result in an unusual "flow reversal" of water into and out of the Great Lake through the Tonle Sap River. Phnom Penh also represents the beginning of the Mekong River's delta system. The mainline starts to fragment into an increasing number of branches at this point. [11] Wet rice is the primary crop in Cambodia and is farmed in the flood plains of the Tonle Sap, Mekong, and Bassac rivers (the Mekong delta distributary known in Vietnam as the Háou). [11] Although more than half of Cambodia is still covered with mixed evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest, forest cover has fallen from 73% in 1973 to 63% in 1993. [11] The river landscape is flat in this location. Small variations in water level dictate the direction of water flow, including the large-scale reversal of flow into and out of the Tonle Sap basin from the Mekong River. [11]
The cruise between Huay Xai (Thailand) and Luang Prabang (Laos) is often recognized as one of the most spectacular and pleasant ways to see the Mekong River's grandeur. Consider how passengers perceive this kind of transportation in comparison to buses or speedboats. What is the distance between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang?
