Downstream of the Khone Falls, the river remains divided into several branches, from which only a few are navigable but shallow and braiding through a 2.0 a 3.5 km wide monsoon river bed. There are, however, a few exceptions (e.g. Km 710.0 to Km 714.0) where the river is narrow, shallow, with sharp bends and quiet waters. It is the habitat of many exotic bird species, the extinguished/threatened Irrawaddy dolphins and other aquatic life.
The navigation channel is hopelessly complex, often even confused and only small domestic boats are plying on the river.
During the flood season, the waterway system becomes fully submerged and with little or no adequate navigational aids. The river system is about 4.0 km wide. The narrow channels are usually deep (more than 8.0 m and sometimes >30.0 m) but other places do not have more than 1.0 m water depth.

Source: Design of a Master Plan for Regional Waterborne Transport in the Mekong River Basin, Volume I, Page 34, 35

Km735-Km710_2