The formidable Mekong River provides a livelihood for at least 60 million people. Spanning a whopping 4,350 km (2,700 mi), the Mekong (Song Me Kong or Song Cuu Long) is the twelfth-longest river in the world and originates at the Tibetan Plateau before beginning its enormous journey south through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. History of the Mekong …