Fishers Monument at Chau Doc, Mekong river. The Mekong is with an estimated lenght of 4.900 km one of the greatest rivers of the world. The distance from the cambodian-vietnamese border to its mouth at the South China Sea is aprox. 220 km (lenght on vietnamese territory). From the rise on the Tibetan Plateau to the river delta the Mekong runs through China, Thailand, Loas, Cambodia and Vietnam. In South Vietnam the water of the Mekong guarantees up to three crops per year and makes this area the most fruitful of the whole country. The Mekong has also big importance for fishing, fish farming and as a travelway and transport route. Because of its nine branches in the river delta the Mekong is also known as the Song Cuu Long - the Nine-Dragon-River. The two main / biggest branches are the Tien Giang (upper river) and the Hau Giang (lower river).
