The 38 km long river, initially called the Streek, flows in the municipalities of Emstek, Cloppenburg, Garrel, Bösel and Edewecht. It has its source 2 km north of Höltinghausen. From here it flows in a northerly direction, crosses under the federal highway 213 and continues to flow past Kellerhöhe, west past Beverbruch and east past Garrel. The Vehne now forms the border between the districts of Cloppenburg and Oldenburg on a section. To the east of Jeddeloh II, it crosses the coastal channel. Since it initially crossed the canal open, its water level fluctuated and this had to be compensated for by sluices. This was remedied by the construction of the Vehnedüker in 1927, which since then has led the river with a length of 57 m and a diameter of 1.6 m under the bottom of the coastal canal in order to reappear immediately next to the main road 401. Here it changes its course to the west to finally flow south at Edewecht as a left tributary into the floodplain, which flows through the Zwischenahner Sea.