The Islands were an important  link for the  supply of goods from Saigon to Laos.  To circumvent the rapids in the Mekong the French built a railway and bridge linking the two islands.  Goods were offloaded from boats at the southern end of Don Khon, loaded on railway wagons and transported over the bridge to Don Det where the goods were reloaded on to boats to continue their journey upriver towards Vientiane.