The Bassac River (; Tonlé Bassac) or Hậu River ( 瀧後 or 後江) is a

distributary A distributary, or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a ''tributary'', a stream that flows another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of river bifurc ...

of the

Tonlé Sap Tonlé Sap (; , ; or commonly translated as 'Great Lake') is a lake in the northwest of Cambodia. Belonging to the Mekong, Mekong River system, Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the most diverse and prod ...

and

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth-longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third-longest in Asia with an estimated l ...

. The river starts in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, and flows southerly, crossing the border into

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

near

Châu Đốc Châu Đốc is a city in An Giang Province, bordering Cambodia, in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2019, the city had a population of 101,765, and cover an area of . The city is located by the Hậu River (a branch of the Mekong Ri ...

. The name ''Bassac'' comes from the Khmer prefix ''pa'' ("father" or "male") added to ''sak'' (សក្តិ) ("power, honor"), a Khmer word borrowed from the Sanskrit ''sakti'' (शक्ति). The Bassac River is an important transportation corridor between Cambodia and Vietnam, with barges and other craft plying the waters. A city of the same name was once the west-bank capital of the

Kingdom of Champasak The Kingdom of Champasak (Lao: ຈຳປາສັກ ɕàmpàːsák or Bassac, (1713–1904) was a Lao kingdom that emerged under King Nokasad, a grandson of King Sourigna Vongsa, the last king of Lan Xang. Bassac and the neighboring p ...

. ''Sak'' (សក្តិ) can also be seen in the Khmer spelling of Champasak: ចំប៉ាសក្តិ. USS ''Satyr'' (ARL-23), a recommissioned

repair ship A repair ship is a naval auxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to warships. Repair ships provide similar services to destroyer, submarine and seaplane tenders or depot ships, but may offer a broader range of repair capability incl ...

originally built for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, served on the Bassac River during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Three bridges span the Bassac: the

Monivong Sisowath Monivong (, ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Languages. The Catholic University of America Press. Washington, D ...

and Takhmao bridges in

and the

Cần Thơ Bridge Cần Thơ Bridge (), is a cable-stayed bridge over the Hậu ( Bassac) River, the largest distributary of the Mekong River, in the city of Cần Thơ in southern Vietnam. The bridge is 2.75 kilometres long (1.68 miles). It has a 6-lane carriagewa ...

Cần Thơ Cần Thơ () is the List of cities in Vietnam, fourth-largest city in Vietnam, and the largest city along the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam. It is noted for its floating markets, rice paper-making village, and picturesque rural canals. It has ...

. Approximately 8.5 kilometers to Prey Basak lies a ruined ancient temple called Prasat Prey Basak Temple, which was destroyed during the Vietnam War due to heavy bombing from the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. Prasat Prey Basak Temple was built by the

Funan Kingdom Funan (; , ; , Chữ Hán: ; ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Khmer-Mon Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''(Mandala)''—located in Mainland Southeast Asia covering ...

during the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The temple is dated between 1,900 and 2,000 years old. It is considered to be the oldest prasat in Cambodia.

Gallery

File:Aerial_View_of_Bassac_River.jpg, Aerial View of Bassac River at Takhmao File:Basac River at Takhmao.jpg, Aerial View of Takhmao Bridge and Basac River at Takhmao File:Aerial_View_of_National_Highway_2_and_Bassac_River.jpg, National Highway 2 and Bassac River View from Kbal Thnol, Chak Angre File:Aerial_View_of_Kbal_Thnol_Overpass_Area.jpg, Aerial View of Bassac River and Surrounding Area (

Monivong Boulevard Monivong Boulevard () is a central boulevard and thoroughfare of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. It was named after King Monivong of Cambodia. Most streets in Phnom Penh have numbers rather than names and Monivong Boulevard is also known a ...

, Chbar Ampov etc.) Svay_Tany_Ferry_Dock_over_Bassac_River_(S'ang_District,_Kandal).jpg, Svay Tany Ferry Dock over Bassac River at S'ang District, Kandal Province

References

Distributaries Rivers of Cambodia Tonlé Sap Mekong River Geography of Phnom Penh International rivers of Asia Rivers of An Giang province Rivers of Cần Thơ Rivers of Hậu Giang province Rivers of Sóc Trăng province Rivers of Trà Vinh province Rivers of Vĩnh Long province Rivers of Vietnam {{Vietnam-river-stub