Thailand: A French expedition crosses rapids on the Mun (Moon) River, near Ubon Ratchathani in northeast Thailand, sketched by Louis Delaporte in 1867.

This drawing by Louis Delaporte is one of dozens he produced during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission, which was sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy. The intention of the expedition was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Traveling the Mekong by boat, the small French delegation voyaged from Saigon to Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, then farther north into the uncharted waters of Upper Laos and China's Yunnan province, before returning to Hanoi in 1868 by foot, accompanied by porters and elephants. On the voyage north, a side trip to the Mun River in Siam was organized by Commander de Lagree. The Mun River is a tributary of the Mekong. Today, a controversial hydroelectric dam, the Pak Mun Dam, is built near the confluence of the two rivers.

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Pictures From History