Mekong—The Occluding River: The Tale of a River

By Ngo The Vinh

Part travelogue, part history, and part environmental treatise, Mekong The Occluding River is above all else an urgent warning that factors such as pollution, ecological devastation, and the depletion of natural resources are threatening the very existence of the Mekong River. Author Ngo The Vinh combines his vivid travel notes and collection of photographs with a meticulously researched history of the environmental degradation of the Mekong River.
Translated from Vietnamese, the best-selling treatise outlines the myriad threats facing the river today. From oil shipments feeding the industrial cities of southwestern China to gigantic hydroelectric dams known as the Mekong Cascades in Yunnan province, China is the worst environmental offender, though the other nations along Mekongs banks behave no better. From Thailand to Laos to Vietnam, hydroelectric dams that threaten the Mekong and its inhabitants are being built at an alarming rate.
To save the Mekong, Ngo The Vinh calls upon all the nations that benefit from its life-giving water to observe the Spirit of the Mekong in the implementation of all future development projects. To achieve this end, there must be a concerted and sustained commitment to cooperation and sustainability. At this critical cross-roads, we should remind ourselves of the mantra from Sea World San Diego: Extinction is forever. Endangered means we still have time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 14, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450239370

Ngo The Vinh

Ngo The Vinh is a physician and former chief surgeon of the Eighty-First Airborne Ranger Group during the Vietnam War. A widely renowned author, he published four books in Saigon before 1975 and was awarded the 1971 National Prize for Literature for his book “The Green Belt”. His latest book, “Mekong – The Occluding River”, is a Vietnamese-language bestseller.

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Copyright © 2010 Ngo The Vinh

Also by Ngo The Vinh

The Green Belt

The Battle of Saigon

The Nine Dragons Drained Dry /

East Sea in Turmoil

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4502-3936-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4502-3938-7 (dj)

ISBN: 978-1-4502-3937-0 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010909748

iUniverse rev. date: 07/01/2010

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter One

A Report From Yunnan Encounter With The Manwan Dam

Chapter Two

Laos_pdr.Com Coming Out From Oblivion

Chapter Three

The Rise Of The Phoenix Walking Through The Killing Fields

Chater Four

From The My Thuân Bridge 2000 To The Can Thö Bridge 2008

Chapter Five

Mekong - The Tale Of A River

In Lieu Of Epilogue

The Mekong And Mississippi

Sister-River Partnership

Advance Testimonials

ABBREVIATIONS

Image361.JPG

PREFACE

The Nine Dragons Drained Dry, East Sea in Turmoil or Cuu Long Can Dong, Biên Dông Dây Sóng, a non-fiction book, was published in 2000 to be followed one year later by a second edition. The book is now out of print. Between those years, the author made a number of on-the-scene fieldtrips to places ranging from Yunnan, China, in the north, to Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and the Mekong Delta of Vietnam in the south.

From the vivid collection of travel notes and pictures compiled during his travels in the region, the author wrote this book Mekong-The Occluding River or Mekong Dong Sông Nghen Mach.

The book adheres to a geographical rather than chronological order. It begins at the upper reaches of the Mekong River and ends at its southernmost tip. Very early on, the author had intended to journey to Tibet, the birthplace of the Mekong, with other than sightseeing purpose in mind. Since Tibet had been relegated to the status of an autonomous region of China, such a trip became no longer feasible due to objective circumstances as well as political sensitivities.

From the data on hand, the author concluded that the degradation of the Mekong is the direct result of destructive exploitations that brought about a chain reaction of harmful phenomena such as ecological devastation, depletion of natural resources, and environmental pollution. All those disastrous outcomes are taking place sooner and at a more alarming rate than expected. A case in point is the Mekong Delta: a series of gigantic hydroelectric dams built in the upper Mekong caused this river to become increasingly polluted and drained dry. Furthermore, the ensuing drop in its fresh water level gave rise to the intrusion of salt water from the East Sea. As a result, her fluvial food harvests, plentiful only three decades ago, are now negligible.

Then, just two days prior to the New Year of 2007, an earthshaking event stunned all the countries of Southeast Asia as well as the environmentalists. On December 29, 2006 the China News Agency announced that the Beijing government had successfully completed via the Mekong two shipments totaling 300 tons of oil from the port of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand to a port city in Yunnan Province.

Bypassing the straits of Malacca, this new route will serve as a strategic waterway to transport crude oil from the Middle East to feed the industrial cities of Southwestern China. Should any of those tankers be involved in an accident resulting in a large oil spill, the ecological effects on the Mekong would be catastrophic. For this reason, the introduction of that new route is viewed as another fatal blow to the survival of the Mekong-the first being a series of gigantic hydroelectric dams known as the Mekong Cascades in the province of Yunnan. These dams are creating havoc in the lives of the sixty million people who reside in the Lower Mekong Basin.

To this day, there exists no feasible solution to save the Mekong as long as the nations that lie along its banks persist in a free for all exploitation of her resources to serve their own short-term interests while at the same time remaining totally oblivious to the nefarious chain reaction impacts they visit upon their neighbors-Not to mention the long run threat they pose to the very existence of the Mekong herself.

The worst offender among them is none other than China. So far, this country situated at the northernmost part of the Mekong is the only one that has built three gigantic hydroelectric dams across the main current of the Mekong. According to plan, eleven more remain to be built to complete the projected number of dams in the Mekong Cascades. The other countries did not behave any better. The Thai government is contemplating the implementation of two ambitious and costly projects that will significantly divert the waters of four tributaries from the Mekong. With its dream of becoming the Kuwait of hydropower of Southeast Asia Laos is building pocket hydroelectric dams on its many small rivers to produce electricity for export as well as domestic consumption. Vietnam has constructed the Yali hydroelectric dams on the Sesan River. The regrettable thing is that many of the rivers in those countries are tributaries that feed their waters to the Mekong’s main current.

To save the Mekong, we call upon all the nations that benefit from the life-giving water of this river to show a common concern for and observe the Spirit of the Mekong in the implementation of all their exploitation and development projects.

To achieve this end, there must be a concerted and sustained commitment to cooperate from all interested parties.

NGÔ THE VINH, M.D.

Mekong Delta August, 2006

California January, 2010

A REPORT FROM YUNNAN ENCOUNTER WITH THE MANWAN DAM

Everybody lives downstream

 (World Water Day 03-22-1999)

Nowadays, taking a trip to China is no longer the hurdle it once was. It gets even better if you are part of a guided tour with a predetermined itinerary. To enter China for personal reasons, however, is another story. The recently introduced Renovation policy did not negate the fact that the country still remains basically a totalitarian and police state highly suspicious of newspersons, writers or any professions dealing with public communication including missionary work.

Therefore, even though the purpose of my fieldtrip is to study the upper Mekong and the dams of Yunnan, the best course of action for me is to declare tourism as the purpose of my travel and the profession definitely not newsman. In addition, I am also fully aware that if one has to write down the details of one’s journey, it is preferable to leave out the sensitive name of Tibet altogether.

Once a tourist arrives in China, the first obstacle he or she encounters is the language barrier. Four months prior to departure my friend, Dr. Trân Huy Bich, introduced me to Mr. Truang Khánh Tao who lived in the state of Oklahoma. Mr. Tao in turn put in a good word for me with his close comrade-in-arms from the revolutionary years, Mr. Hoàng Cuang, who has been stranded in Kunming since 1946. Having lived in China for more than half a century, he speaks Chinese fluently and expressed his willingness to help me upon my arrival in September. However, as my departure time drew near I learned that due to personal reasons Mr. Cuang had to leave for Vietnam and would not be able to meet me in Yunnan as planned. Since the idea of changing my work schedule at the hospital looked rather daunting to me, I decided to go ahead with the trip while at the same time trying to reassure myself with the thought that once over there I could always play it by ear. With the same happy go lucky frame of mind I also proceeded with my journey to Laos and Cambodia as intended.

Before leaving, I was deeply moved by the news that Mr. Truang Khánh Tao had passed away. On a personal note, I would like to dedicate this writing about my sojourn in Yunnan to Mr. Tao and his family in his memory.

KUNMING TODAY

After an uneventful flight, the China Southern airliner departing from Los Angeles landed in Guangzhou, one of the large and modern cities in Southern China. From there, I boarded another plane, destination Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. China is a gigantic land in many senses. Yunnan, one of the provinces of China, covers an area of 394,000 km2 (larger than Vietnam’s 340,000 km2) and has 35 million inhabitants (approximately less than half of Vietnam’s population).

A bird view of Kunming from the airplane window showed that it resembled any big city in the West.

No where could be found the image of a Kunming depicted as a remote, sleepy Oriental town by the legendary American Air Force general Claire Chennault of the Flying Tigers who was stationed there during the Second World War.

You must be a former resident of Kunming to appreciate upon your return how extensive and complete a transformation the city has gone through:

"Kunming, our home, fifty years ago and now are two totally different cities. Gone are the old houses and narrow streets. In their place now stand huge buildings and wide boulevards with separate lanes for pedestrians and bicyclists. Large overpasses arch over the streets. Underneath are tunnels for pedestrians to cross the streets and shop at the stores along their walls.

It could be said that the Kunming of half a century ago was razed to the ground to make room for a western style city. On my first day back, unable to reestablish contact with an old friend, I was at a loss trying to recognize the familiar places of the past. The climate in Kunming is moderate-neither too hot nor too cold all year round. The words Tam once uttered still resound in my ears: ‘If I can choose a place to live when I retire it’d be Kunming not Dà Lat.’

That’s how Mr. Truong Khánh Tao felt on his return to Kunming.

To help the reader better understand the gist of the above quotation, a short elaboration here seems in order: Tam, whose full name is Nguyên Tuong Tam was born in Hâi Duong, North Vietnam (1905-1963). He is also known by his pen name Nhât Linh. In his early years, he worked as the editor of the newspapers Phong Hóa and Ngày Nay. By founding the Ty Luc Vän Boàn or Self-Reliance Literary Movement, he left an indelible mark in the cultural life of Vietnam. His three brothers Nguyên Tuong

Long / pen name: Hoàng Bao, Nguyên Tuong Lân / pen name: Thach Lam and Nguyên Tuong Bách / pen name: Viên San were also gifted writers. This Movement played a major role in the popularization of the Quôc Ngü, the present day romanized alphabet of Vietnam. In addition to his literary works, Tam also was actively involved in politics. In 1963 he committed suicide in protest against the government of South Vietnam.

The city of Bà Lat Tam referred to is the capital of Lâm Bông Province, the home of 32 ethnic minorities in Vietnam. Located at 1,500 meters above sea level on the Lang Biang Plateau of Central Vietnam, it is blessed with a temperate climate. Its beautiful landscape is generously endowed with lakes, waterfalls and lush vegetation. Originally built for the French, its Swiss charm and abundance of flowers, especially roses and orchids, only add to its reputation as a favorite vacation place for many.

Wu, a 28 years old robust young man, was the first Yunnanese I came in contact with. A driver by profession, he earned his living by picking up travelers at the airport. Speaking fluent English he gave the impression of being a knowledgeable person. He took us to the Kunming Holiday Inn, a 4 star-242 room hotel, built according to American standards. At this hotel I expected to be spared an immediate confrontation with the language barrier and also find a driver working for a travel agency who can speak some English.

On the way from the airport Wu confided in us that the rapid transformation of Kunming only occurred during the last decade. Since the day of the abundant supply of electricity from the Manwan Dam.

At an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level, instead of an old, dusty, and garbage strewn Kunming you have right before your eyes a different city He added.

Driving inside the city on the way to the hotel, if you disregard the army of bicyclists, you would feel like being in any modern American city. The streets were wide and beautifully decorated with colorful wreaths of flowers. The cleanliness of the streets was utterly amazing.

With a touch of pride in his voice Wu explained: The people of Kunming realize that this is their city. They love it and want to keep it clean and beautiful.

The challenge of clothing and feeding 1.2 billion souls seemed to me a thing of the past. That was the impression I had during my stay in Kunming. Not a single beggar in sight. Here and there in the streets, healthy looking sanitation workers wearing work uniforms still swept with brooms and picked up every strand of trash with pincers the traditional way. In the following days, I witnessed the same scene of sanitation workers sweeping the highways very far away from the cities and keeping them shining clean.

After a few exchanges with Wu on the way, I came to the very quick decision to use him and his Mitsubishi for the length of my stay in Kunming.

In the afternoon of the first day, Wu took us sightseeing the provincial capital, including the rare street corners of Old Kunming which have survived with their ancient houses topped by curved roofs covered with moss-the unmistakable signs of the passing of time. Purportedly those houses were kept standing there as a living contrast between tradition and modernization.

A visit to the Yunnan University revealed to me that it had not changed much from the picture Húa Bâo Liên painted in her family autobiography Nguyên Tuong Bách and I: This is the largest university in the province. It occupies an entire big hill covered by tall, colossal pine trees. Squirrels jump from one tree branch to another at the speed of flying arrows. To reach the campus one has to climb 99 stone steps. On the school premise are erected graceful and sturdy structures with walls built uniquely with red bricks.

On the day I came, the fast-footed squirrels were still around. They appeared utterly impervious to the turbulent years of the revolution in Vietnam over half a century ago or to the perilous days its famous children with names like Nhât Linh Nguyên Tuong Tam, Hoàng Bao Nguyên Tuong Long, Viên San Nguyên Tuong Bách had to endure.

Alas! The integrity of the buildings on the Yunnan University campus itself was under siege. Before our very own eyes ancient houses hundreds of years old were being demolished brick by brick to make room for modern buildings.

The time I planned for the trip was limited yet my objective was crystal clear: to go to the head source of the Lancang Jiang, the Chinese name for the upper Mekong. I probed and probed to find out whether Wu or his connections could be of any help for me to achieve that goal.

Through our conversations I learned that Wu, a Han, graduated from a four-year college. He is married and the couple has a young child. A former mathematics teacher, he earned a modest salary. When the Chinese government introduced its Open Door Policy Wu quit his job to work as a taxi driver. Thanks to his command of English, he also acted as a tour guide and his income grew six folds to about US$ 600 a month. It allowed him to buy a house on installments and go from renter to owner. He expected to pay his house off twenty years down the road.

Self confident, Wu expressed his views forcefully on the politics and social issues of China. To name a few: Taiwan categorically is a province of China. That’s it. No further discussions needed. Mao Tse Tung still deserves respect. The Chinese people owe a debt of gratitude to Dang Xiao Ping because he engineered an era of development and prosperity for the country. What about Jiang

Zemin? Just so so. He’s too soft especially toward the Americans. It made the Chinese people angry. For example: He let an American plane land on the Hainan Island instead of ordering it shot down. On the other hand it gave China the opportunity to learn more about the aerial intelligence gathering technology of the Americans. The Hainan Island incident Wu mentioned took place on April 1, 2001 over the East Sea resulting in an international crisis between the US and China. A U.S. Navy EP-3 signal reconnaissance aircraft collided with a People’s Liberation Army Navy J-8jet fighter causing the death of the Chinese pilot while the EP-3 was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan. The American crew of 24 was detained, interrogated and released 10 days later after the US issued a letter of the two ‘sorry’ to the Chinese government. The plane was then disassembled and returned three months later.

My naïveté did not go so far as to believe that taxi drivers and tour guides had no connections with the secret service. Consequently, I only asked harmless questions while trying my best to stay clear from all serious discussions.

That night, Wu took us to a restaurant famous for a simple dish called Across-the-bridge noodles. We were served a bowl of steaming hot broth covered with a thick layer of fat. All that we needed to do was to dump in some noodle, thin slices of meat, a teaspoon of red pepper and we were set. It’s like a hot pot dish minus the pot. The meal was hot in its fullest sense!

The waitresses were Han. However, they were all dressed in the bright and colorful costumes of the Yi tribe. Visitors to Yunnan who made their acquaintance with this dish were unfailingly told the romantic anecdote behind its origin.

During the Quing Dynasty, a poor student was determined to pass the mandarin examination at the capital. To that end, he left his family and moved to a small island in the middle of a lake to devote himself to his studies. Every day his young wife had to cross a long bamboo bridge to bring him his meals. By the time she arrived the food had unavoidably turned cold. One day she inadvertently found out that if she covered the soup with a thick layer of fat it would stay hot until the time she saw her husband.

Although the dish was claimed to be super delicious we found it impossible to follow Wu’s example and gulp down a jumbo size bowl of animal fat to bring the dinner to a grand finale. Greasy, steaming hot, spicy hot are the defining characteristics of the dishes from Yunnan.

On our first night in Yunnan, from the Holiday Inn hotel, we could see the city of Kunming sparkling below us. Naturally it was lit by the power from the Manwan Hydroelectric Dam, the first in a series of 14 to be built in steps along the Upper Mekong. Present day Kunming stood as a symbol of the development in Yunnan. What price the people in the Mekong Delta and the nations lying downstream must pay for it still remains an unanswered question.

SHILIN STONE FOREST

Driving along the 126 kilometers of Expressway 320 in the southeastern direction we could see endless verdant orchards and occasional small brooks and streams. Along the roadsides, all kinds of fruits freshly cut with leaves and branches still connected to the stems were on display for sale to the tourists. To name a few: mangosteens, pears, peaches, persimmons… Yunnan is reputed for its fruits. Peaches from Yunnan are sought after for their aroma and sweetness. I had never before set my eyes till now on such beautiful and big pears (bowl size) with skins so smooth and green. They would make exceptional gifts from Yunnan. Sadly, they were banned from import into the United States. Wu mentioned that the soil of the Yunnan plateau is suitable for growing fruits but not grains. Consequently good rice had to be imported from Thailand.

The railroad connecting Kunming to Hanoi-Haiphong built during the French time (1904-1910) has been replaced by a modern one.

The expressway was constantly crowded in both directions with big trucks named Dong Feng or East Wind that were manufactured in China. From the capital city of Kunming going east you would be heading toward Shanghai. A system of eight lane freeways was being constructed to meet the transportation needs of the economic expansion in Kunming. At intervals along the route, you could stop for gas at stations owned by Petro China boasting 20 to 30 pumps each. Who can tell how many oil barrels supplied to those stations came from the archipelago of Paracels and Spratlys? Who can tell with certainty whether China has actually exploited the oil in that archipelago? Two giant companies named China Telecom and China Mobile vied with each other to supply the much-in-demand cellular phones for the 1.2 billion strong Chinese market.

We can safely assert that the Stone Forest, Himalayan chains and the high plateau of Tibet share a common birthday. Of the three, Tibet represents a case of special interest to us. It is the cradle of all the major rivers that serve as the lifeline of Asia-Among them the Mekong. In other words, those three regions have the same geological history. Approximately 300 million years ago, two pre-continental landmasses collided creating a tremendous pressure that pushed northward and formed the spectacular topography now known as the Himalayan chains and Central Asia. The Stone Forest covers an area of 80 hectares and is claimed to be a natural wonder of Yunnan. It was originally a seabed that was lifted up. Since then the seawater had completely receded leaving behind limestone mountain ranges. With the passing of time, water and wind erosion sculptured them into peculiar and bizarre looking peaks or crisscrossing crevasses. As a result, instead of a forest of green trees we have a dense forest of stone trees in all shape and