LOEI, THAILAND – A new gold rush unfolded along the Mekong in Pak Chom district after prices hit a record 78,400 Baht per baht-weight, drawing hundreds of residents to freshly exposed sandbanks.
Tradition Between Sandbanks and Record Highs
Over the weekend, residents set up more than 150 makeshift washing spots along a ten- to twenty-metre-wide strip of riverbank in Tambon Pak Chom. The sudden activity turned the quiet stretch of the Mekong into a temporary mining ground.
The improvised sites lay near villages including Ban Sri Phuthorn and Ban Hat Bia, where the sharply reduced water level exposed broad sandbanks previously hidden beneath the river. Locals used simple tools to shovel and pan sediment that had long remained out of reach.
Villagers Revive a Fading Craft
Resident Samruay Daengphasom from Ban Sri Phuthorn said gold panning had been a traditional livelihood passed down from grandparents but had largely faded from daily life. Many younger villagers had little experience with the practice until the river receded this year.
According to Samruay, the old craft was revived by two main factors: exceptionally high gold prices and the unusually low river level, which made it easier to access long-deposited sediment. The combination encouraged entire families to return to the riverbanks.
Record Earnings From Tiny Flakes
“At 78,400 Baht per baht-weight, even the smallest flakes are valuable,”
said Samruay Daengphasom, a local gold panner.
She noted that the lower water level significantly eased access to mineral deposits buried in the riverbed. With more ground exposed, villagers could work longer stretches of sand with simple pans and trays.
Gold panning required both skill and luck, Samruay explained, and during this low-water period most villagers earned on average between 1,000 and 1,500 Baht per day. Occasional lucky finds brought some people several thousand Baht daily, offering a rare financial boost in the rural district.
From River Pan to Ready Cash
Villagers said the raw gold collected in pans and bowls could quickly be turned into cash because mobile buyers and local gold shops regularly travelled through the area. Sellers did not need to leave the riverbank to monetize their finds.
Dealers based their payments on precise gram weights and the current market rate, linking the remote sandbanks directly to global price movements. For many in Pak Chom, the drying Mekong opened up a previously little-used source of income and brought back a river tradition shaped by sharply rising world gold prices.
Gold Fever on the River: Opportunity or Risk?
In Pak Chom district in Loei province, the Mekong’s newly exposed sandbanks and the 78,400 Baht per baht-weight price triggered a genuine rush to the water’s edge. The sight of hundreds of people working side by side underlined the scale of the local gold fever.
Questions remained over whether this activity would provide a sustainable source of income or only a short-lived boom tied to rare low-water conditions and record prices. The unusually shallow river also raised concerns about what prolonged low levels might mean for the Mekong in the longer term, even as villagers seized the moment to try their luck.