Spanning two thousand years, Milton Osborne's history of the Mekong is full of remarkable stories--of Spanish and Portuguese freebooters and missionaries; French explorers who were recognised in the nineteenth century as the equal of Burton and Livingstone; a martyred Cambodian monsignor and an Australian-educated Vietnamese reflecting on communist rule. The Mekong has been at the heart of two wars, while one of the lands along its course, Cambodia, witnessed the terrible tyranny of the Pol Pot regime. Though Indochina is now at peace, mojor dam building on the upper Mekong in China and on its lower tributaries pose new threats to the river's furture.
Vibrant and insightful, Mekong is a masterly chronicle of one of the world's mightiest rivers.
Part 1 Beginnings, Discovery and the Colonial Years
Part 2 Wars and their Aftermath
Part 3 Present Imperfect, Future Uncertain
" A tour de force...on the history of exploration, the wars of empire and the hazards of peace."
--Jill Ker Conway--
" To read Milton Osborne's book is to take a mesmerising journey up and down the length of this great river..." --Lan-Xang.com