An artist’s rendering of the Pak Beng Dam
Select a language and narrator voice before playback.
An artist’s rendering of the Pak Beng Dam
Dozens of fish leap out of the water during feeding time at a fish farm on Son Island in Vietnam's Mekong Delta.
Map of the hydropower plants along the Mekong, operational, planned, and postponed.
According to the Mekong River Commission, preparatory works are under way, with the main construction scheduled to begin in October 2026, following the wet season.
The Pak Beng hydropower project began construction in late 2025 with a large earthen and rock embankment. Workers appear to be excavating and laying the foundation for the dam's main structure.
Slow boats line up to wait for passengers at the Pak Beng pier on the Mekong River in northern Laos' Oudomxay province, site of a proposed hydroelectric dam, in a file photo.