The Mae Khong begins in Tibet, flows down through China, describes a meandering course through northern Laos, and meets the Thai border at the Golden Triangle. It forms a natural border between Thailand and Laos eastward, southward and then east ward again and then proceeds on its final southerly course through the lower part of Laos, through Kampuchea and finally into southern Vietnam where it flows into the South China Sea from the famous Mae Khong River delta. In parts it is the most treacherous river in the world, in parts it's placid, but throughout it carries a rich heritage and is the only consistent living body in the Southeast Asian region.
The border it forms in Thailand's north is an area well worth travelling, from north to south, on the eastern edge of Chiangrai Province. The drive takes you from the Golden Triangle at Chiang Saen to Chiang Khong.
The two most current issues facing the river are the building of dams and blasting of rapids. A number of dams have already been built on the river's tributaries, notably the Pak Mun dam in Thailand. This has been criticised on grounds of cost as well as damage to the environment and to the livelihoods of affected villagers, though none have been built on the main part itself.
China is engaged in an extensive program of dam-building on the river itself: it has already completed three, the first called the Manwan dam, another twelve are under consideration.
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