The long-lasting conflict in Vietnam made the name of the Mekong familiar to people in other countries, but to those who live along its banks and tributaries it is known simply as "the river." While it is certainly one of the world's great waterways, readers will be surprised to learn from John Keay that it has only recently been traced to its original source in the mountains of Tibet. Most of Keay's book, however, describes its early exploration.
In fact the book tells two stories, the more important of which follows a 19th-century French expedition to map the river's course, establish its features and assess its potential for commercial use. This is the dramatic central tale, set fully in the context of a colonial age. The accompanying story describes the author's own negotiation of the waterway, as he retraced the route of the explorers, and tried to assess the difficulties they faced.
The French presence in Southeast Asia came about largely because of France's rivalry with Britain, which by the mid-19th century had already established an empire as far to the east as Burma (Myanmar), and even held influence in Siam (Thailand). So the French sought dominion in the lands beyond: "Just as the Nile had given Britain its entree into Africa, the Mekong would give France its entree into Asia."