The Mekong River is a river in the south-east of Asia. It flows through many countries: China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and finally Vietnam. The Mekong begins in the Lasagongma Spring which is in the plateaus of Tibet, disputed part of China, and flows about south-east to the South China Sea. Its watershed covers 307,000 square miles (797,000 square kilometers). Its name comes from the Thai language's "Mae Num", or literally, "Mother Water".