E-books
Mekong Diaries: Vietnam
RFA's camera team follows the Mekong through Vietnam to its end in the South China Sea.
Day 60 – Entering Vietnam
Today we catch a bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, where we arrange for the next stage of our journey downstream to Vietnam by boat. A ferry service runs twice each way every day, carrying tourists through a stretch of river with an amazing history. Read more
RFA's camera team follows the Mekong through Vietnam to its end in the South China Sea.
Day 60 – Entering Vietnam
Today we catch a bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, where we arrange for the next stage of our journey downstream to Vietnam by boat. A ferry service runs twice each way every day, carrying tourists through a stretch of river with an amazing history. Read more
Mekong Diaries: Cambodia
Our team goes into Cambodia to visit villages wrecked by floods and see the famous and endangered Mekong dolphins.
Days 51-52 – Entering Cambodia
For U.S. $5 a head we leave Don Sadam Island and the Four Thousand Islands behind, traveling first by boat, then by minibus on a bad road, and finally in a big bus on a sealed road, to make the three-hour trip to Stung Treng in northern Cambodia. Read more
Our team goes into Cambodia to visit villages wrecked by floods and see the famous and endangered Mekong dolphins.
Days 51-52 – Entering Cambodia
For U.S. $5 a head we leave Don Sadam Island and the Four Thousand Islands behind, traveling first by boat, then by minibus on a bad road, and finally in a big bus on a sealed road, to make the three-hour trip to Stung Treng in northern Cambodia. Read more
Mekong Diaries: Laos
RFA's cameraman and his crew enter Laos and visit villages along the river to assess the impact of dams and relocation schemes.
Day 43 – Entering Laos
Today we fly to Vientiane and find it a quaint and quiet little town next to the Mekong. Along the river in the center of town, earthworks and machinery are transforming the shoreline. Read more
RFA's cameraman and his crew enter Laos and visit villages along the river to assess the impact of dams and relocation schemes.
Day 43 – Entering Laos
Today we fly to Vientiane and find it a quaint and quiet little town next to the Mekong. Along the river in the center of town, earthworks and machinery are transforming the shoreline. Read more
Mekong Diaries: Golden Triangle
The team hops on the bus to cross Laos and reach a spot on the river where a Burmese ethnic minority, the Lahu, took refuge from the Burmese army.
Day 27 – Leaving China
Carrying all of our footage, we leave Jinghong and head towards our first attempted Chinese border crossing.
The bus trip is a typically dyslexic affair, beginning with a short jaunt about 30 km out of town where the bus driver abruptly directs us to all disembark, followed by a two-hour wait during which we wonder if we will ever see our luggage again, brief happiness when the bus returns, and then a drive of a few hours to a very shiny and new Chinese border post. Read more
The team hops on the bus to cross Laos and reach a spot on the river where a Burmese ethnic minority, the Lahu, took refuge from the Burmese army.
Day 27 – Leaving China
Carrying all of our footage, we leave Jinghong and head towards our first attempted Chinese border crossing.
The bus trip is a typically dyslexic affair, beginning with a short jaunt about 30 km out of town where the bus driver abruptly directs us to all disembark, followed by a two-hour wait during which we wonder if we will ever see our luggage again, brief happiness when the bus returns, and then a drive of a few hours to a very shiny and new Chinese border post. Read more
Mekong Diaries: China
Our cameraman and his crew get tips on how to get "off the beaten tracks" and come close to the great glaciers melting into the Mekong.
Day 12 – Maduo to Deqin
It’s 9:20 a.m. and we are on a minibus about to leave for Deqin. We have been in a car for most of the last eight days, contending with the scale of China. The last 24 hours have been especially messed up.
Now we have a six-hour, 180-kilometer crawl around sheer mountain roads to get to Deqin. Tomorrow we sleep in! Read more
Our cameraman and his crew get tips on how to get "off the beaten tracks" and come close to the great glaciers melting into the Mekong.
Day 12 – Maduo to Deqin
It’s 9:20 a.m. and we are on a minibus about to leave for Deqin. We have been in a car for most of the last eight days, contending with the scale of China. The last 24 hours have been especially messed up.
Now we have a six-hour, 180-kilometer crawl around sheer mountain roads to get to Deqin. Tomorrow we sleep in! Read more
Mekong Diaries: Tibet
At the start of a journey down the Mekong River, Radio Free Asia's cameraman discovers Tibet, its ancient traditions and its stunning sites.
Day 1 – On our Way
We land in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, and go to our hotel, which is flanked and fronted by karaoke bars. We have dinner in a Muslim café. Some of our fellow diners are pale-skinned Han people. Others are sunburnt dark brown with distinct red patches on each cheek and wear gangster hats and cheap sports jackets. They’re cowboys—the real thing. Read more
At the start of a journey down the Mekong River, Radio Free Asia's cameraman discovers Tibet, its ancient traditions and its stunning sites.
Day 1 – On our Way
We land in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, and go to our hotel, which is flanked and fronted by karaoke bars. We have dinner in a Muslim café. Some of our fellow diners are pale-skinned Han people. Others are sunburnt dark brown with distinct red patches on each cheek and wear gangster hats and cheap sports jackets. They’re cowboys—the real thing. Read more
Slavery at Sea
Drawings by Prum Vannak - Vannak is a Cambodian survivor of human trafficking. His story is one of extreme poverty and what people do to take care of their families. Most of them don't live to tell us their stories. Vannak is part of a lucky few.
Drawings by Prum Vannak - Vannak is a Cambodian survivor of human trafficking. His story is one of extreme poverty and what people do to take care of their families. Most of them don't live to tell us their stories. Vannak is part of a lucky few.
A Cameraman's Journal
24 million people are enslaved in Asia. RFA traveled to faraway places to expose slavery. This journal reveals the private thoughts of the cameraman. He is an experienced professional. Yet what he saw during this assignment "changed him forever."
24 million people are enslaved in Asia. RFA traveled to faraway places to expose slavery. This journal reveals the private thoughts of the cameraman. He is an experienced professional. Yet what he saw during this assignment "changed him forever."
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