Photo by: AFP

Farmer Phia Paokhammacham and his son speak to journalists on a drought-hit rice field near the Mekong River outside Vientiane, Laos, late last month. A severe drought in Southeast Asia and southern China has caused the Mekong River to drop to a 50-year low. The level of the river will be discussed next week during a summit meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand, that Prime Minister Hun Sen is set to attend. AFP