A new casino complex is supposed to transform poor Ton Pheung into a ‘Macau on the Mekong’. But some locals are already nervous.
A large golden dome dominates the Laotian landscape on the other side of the Mekong River. From Chiang Saen, the ancient capital of the Lanna kingdom and now a Thai port, visitors board boats at a landing stage built by a Chinese trading company. Every 15 minutes, visitors are picked up by fast launches and whisked across the river.
