Pakse – Don Kho and Ban Saphai

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Ban Saphai is a village on Don Kho, an island in the Mekong 17km from Pakse and is famous for its small-scale silk industry: it’s difficult to believe that this little backwater was once the administrative centre of the area for 10 years during the French colonial rule.

It makes for an interesting ½ day trip or indeed overnight stay (there are homestays that can be arranged). It was originally settled by families from Attapeu, home of the Bolaven Plateau some centuries ago and today there are 44 families on the island. Their traditional Lao-style stilt-houses can be seen all over the island which can be easily explored in a couple of hours. This style provides space below where they spin and weave silk.