Crossing the Mekong

The river that separated danger from safety for people leaving Laos.

The border

For much of its length, the Mekong River forms the border between Laos and Thailand. After 1975 it became the line between danger and refuge.

The crossing

People crossed at night, in small boats, on bamboo rafts, or by swimming, sometimes holding on to inflated bags or banana trunks. Patrols on the Lao side fired on people trying to leave. Many did not survive.

The other side

Those who reached Thailand were taken to camps such as Nong Khai, Ubon, Napho, and Ban Vinai. From there began the long wait for resettlement in the United States, France, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere.