Starting from Phnom Penh, the Mekong River splits into two branches flowing from north to south: on the right (right bank) is the Bassac River (called Hậu Giang or Hậu River in Vietnam) and on the left (left bank) is the Mekong (called Tiền Giang or Tiền River in Vietnam), both flowing into the vast delta region in southern Vietnam, each river about 220–250 km long. In Vietnam, the Mekong River is also called the Great River, the Mother River, or the Cửu Long River. The flow rate of these two rivers is very large, around 6,000 m³/s in the dry season, up to 120,000 m³/s in the rainy season, and carries a lot of alluvium that fertilizes the southern delta.
The Tiền River and Hậu River flow through the provinces and cities of Đồng Tháp, An Giang, Cần Thơ, Vĩnh Long. Part of Vĩnh Long province and most of Đồng Tháp province lie on the left bank of the Tiền River. A large part of Vĩnh Long province, a large part of Đồng Tháp, and An Giang lie between the Tiền River and the Hậu River. On the right side of the Hậu River are the Long Xuyên quadrangle area and the Cà Mau Peninsula (south of the Cái Sắn Canal and on the right bank of the Hậu River).
Cửu Long River currently flows into the East Sea at the mouths: Tiểu, Đại, Ba Lai, Hàm Luông, Cổ Chiên, Cung Hầu, Bát Xắc, Định An, and Tranh Đề.
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