On travelling southwards one encounters a most stunning section of the river known as the “Four Thousand Islands” region, where the Mekong shatters into a mosaic of small islands just before it crosses into neighbouring Cambodia. Heading downstream into Cambodia one should make a significant detour away from the Mekong to visit the extraordinary temples of Angkor. This magnificent complex represents the high point of the mighty Khmer civilisation, which dominated South East Asia from the 9th to the 15th centuries. Its 200 monuments are scattered over a huge area, but the temples near Siem Reap are the most popular. South of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh the Mekong opens out into the wide basin of its delta, entering Vietnam. This area, called the “rice basket” of Vietnam, yields enough rice to feed the nation and a sizeable surplus. Such fertility also supports a highly dense population with nearly every hectare intensively farmed. To the east of the delta lies the capital city of Southern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). Flourishing between the 9th and 14th centuries, the Khmer Empire was once the most powerful ruling force in Southeast Asia, governing much of what today is Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and southern Vietnam. At its zenith, the imperial capital of Angkor was the world’s largest city. Historians estimate that it spread over a 1,000 square kilometres – close to the size of modern Los Angeles – and housed more than a million people. It was a place of music and dance, festivities and fireworks, horse racing and cock fights.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjE5ODQ=