Savannakhet Travel Guide
Travel to Savannakhet - Colonial Gem on the Mekong
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The fascinating and beautiful (if deteriorating) town of Savannakhet has an abundance of charm and a rich cultural past seen from the 500-year old Wat Sainyaphum and French colonial architecture. It’s a laid-back, Mekong-side retreat where the locals still play their version of petanque, a place to take a break on your way north or south.
Meaning ‘city of paradise’ Savannakhet certainly has a charm about it. Savannakhet also provides a convenient and relaxing stopping off point when travelling to or from Si Phan Don, the 4,000 islands, and the border crossing with Cambodia. From here you can travel across the border to the Thai town of Mukdahan or to Vietnam Lao Bao on the Vietnamese border a couple of hundred kilometres to the east.
Attractions in Savannakhet
It’s the atmosphere afforded by the town’s colonial buildings rather than the places of interest themselves that makes Savannakhet so popular. Wat Saiyaphum and Wat Rattanalangsi are two large temples in town and there are two museums – the Provincial Museum has relics from the war and much about Kaysone Phomvihane, erstwhile leader of the Pathet Lao whilst the Dinosaur Museum has, well, the remains of dinosaurs. Outside of town is the That Ing Hang, said to be second only to Wat Phu in importance in the south.
Activities in Savannakhet
Allow a day to absorb the atmosphere of the town before moving on.
Relaxing
Why not join the old men of Savannakhet in a game of petang, the Laos version of petanque?
Getting Around
The town is easily explored on foot and by tuk tuk.
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