Savannakhet travel guide

Savannakhet, Laos

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Savannakhet

Introduction

Kaysone Phomvihane, long known as Savannakhet and once as Khanthaboury, sits in western Laos and serves as the capital of Savannakhet Province. It is one of the country's main cities, second only to Vientiane in size.

Beyond that, the source offers little to build on, so treat this as a starting point: a provincial capital in the west of the country, with a name that has changed more than once and a place among Laos's larger urban centres.

Before you go

Savannakhet rewards travellers who arrive expecting a quiet, friendly town rather than a busy tourist hub. The town keeps much of its Lao traditional culture alongside old French colonial architecture, and the local people are known for being welcoming and generous. There is a small but growing tourist sector, with eco-trekking programs to the city's outskirts, preserved forests and neighbouring districts such as Champhone. Nightlife is essentially absent, so plan your evenings around food and conversation rather than bars.

Lao is the main language, though Thai is understood by almost everyone thanks to exposure to Thai media; the local Lao dialect differs from that of Vientiane but the two are mutually intelligible. Some Vietnamese is spoken too, and while French signage is common, few people speak French apart from some older educated residents. Start at the Tourist Information office between the Mekong riverside and the central plaza, which offers local walking tours, a variety of eco tours and a free city map. Lin's Café, a short walk north of the plaza, provides the same services. As a pedestrian, watch for holes in the pavement and stick to well-lit main roads at night; traffic moves fast and motorbikes often ignore the rules, so take care if you ride one. Avoid photographing the military base at Xeno town to the north.

Getting there

Savannakhet has a small airport (ZVK) not far from downtown, with Lao Airlines and Lao Skyway both flying to and from Vientiane. By land, the bus is the practical way to reach the city from the capital: the journey takes about nine hours on a newly paved road, and the ride is a good way to see local villages and the lush Lao countryside. Buses from Vientiane to Pakse often stop in Savannakhet too. Two kinds of bus serve the Vientiane route: the local bus, which leaves throughout the morning, makes plenty of stops for passengers and goods, and takes roughly nine hours; and the VIP night bus, with fewer stops, assigned seats, a toilet and air conditioning. The VIP bus comes in two versions, one with bunk beds and one with seats; each bunk accommodates two people, so if you are travelling alone or in an odd-numbered group, buy the neighbouring space so you are not sharing a twin-sized bed with a stranger.

From the bus station, about 2 km north of the city centre, you can take a tuk-tuk into town. Local buses also connect Savannakhet with Tha Khaek, Pakse, Si Phan Don and less-travelled domestic destinations such as Sekong, Salavan, Attapeu and Sepon. Across the Mekong, the Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge links the city with Mukdahan in Thailand, with a regular bus service departing roughly once an hour; if you need to process a visa at Lao immigration, ask the driver to wait. Daily buses run to and from the Lao Bao border in Vietnam via Sepon, and VIP buses go on weekdays to Dong Ha via Lao Bao and to Hue, with information and reservations available at a hotel downtown. The daily local bus to Hue is not recommended, as you may be stuck waiting at the border checkpoint before it opens.

Getting around

Savannakhet is compact and low-key, and the simplest way to get around is on foot or by bicycle. The city centre is small enough that most places you'll want to see are within comfortable walking distance, and cycling lets you cover more ground without much effort. There's no rail, metro or tram network to plan around, and no local city bus network that visitors would use for getting around town.

Tuk-tuks are the main form of on-demand transport and an easy way to reach a specific location quickly. Be cautious about the fee and always agree on the price with the driver before you set off. Renting a motorbike is possible in principle, but a reliable, cheap motorbike can be hard to find in town; if you do rent one, take extra care on the minor roads of the outlying districts, which are often badly paved — a bicycle is the more dependable choice for those areas. The bus station sits north of the city centre, and tuk-tuks are the usual way to cover the short hop into town.

Where to stay

Savannakhet's budget rooms cluster in guesthouses, and a few are well used to foreign travellers. Leena's Guesthouse on Chao Kim Rd has clean rooms and sits a short walk from the historical centre and the Mekong riverside, though service is only so-so. Joli Guesthouse occupies the same block but is entered from the opposite road; the modern multi-floor house is very clean, breakfast is included, and the owners are known for lending umbrellas when the weather turns. Near Wat Xayaphoum on Tha He Rd, Nongsoda Guesthouse offers air-con rooms with fine Mekong views, though there is no TV and no restaurant. Phoulavane Guesthouse is new, family-run and affordable, with friendly, helpful staff, and is popular with Lao nationals staying a few nights. Suburban guesthouses that cater mainly to young Lao guests are best avoided, as some are involved with drugs.

For something mid-range, the Hoongthip Hotel near the Savannakhet Tennis Club is within walking distance of the Thai consulate; a modest breakfast is included, there is free Wi-Fi for guests plus computers in the lobby, and the hotel has a disco. At the top end, Dao Savanh Resort & Spa sits on the Mekong in the south of the city, with spacious rooms decorated with wooden Lao handicrafts, a swimming pool and a pool bar. North of town, Savan Vegas & Casino has rooms from the affordable to the luxurious, some with Jacuzzis and plasma televisions, plus a spa, gift shop, bank, hair salon, coffee shop, restaurants and bars, and staff who speak English, Thai, Lao and Vietnamese.

Food & drink

Savannakhet's eating scene spreads from the riverfront to the streets around the old market. At the north end of town you'll find a wide selection of small bars and cafés along the Mekong. On Ratsavongseuk St, street vendors sell baguettes with jam, scrambled eggs or pâté, along with roti. For a sit-down meal, Dolly's Café on Ratsavongseuk Rd near the Catholic church serves Japanese, Lao and Western food with a distinctive range of smoothies, teas and fresh juices, and is a good choice for vegetarians; there's a book exchange, guidebooks, Wi-Fi and handicrafts, and the staff speak English. Lin's Café on Latsaphanit rd, about 100 m north of the plaza, offers local, Japanese and Western dishes, organic Lao coffee served hot or iced, fruit shakes, pastas and vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals, plus free Wi-Fi, tourist information, a book exchange, bicycle rental, handicraft souvenirs and Lao cooking classes on request. Sabaidee Restaurant at the Old Market on Ratsavongseuk Rd is one of the bigger places in town, with a mix of Lao and Western food, attentive staff and a lively, sometimes noisy crowd of locals enjoying dinner and a few Beerlaos.

Just north of the cluster of guesthouses you'll find restaurants serving fondue or hot pot and dishes such as chili-basil frog. For something more formal, Dao Savanh, off Khantabuli Rd near the courtyard in front of the Catholic church, serves French cuisine at lunch and dinner, with a three-course lunch menu and a larger dinner menu, all presented with care by attentive staff. Local cafés serve traditional Lao coffee with condensed milk at the bottom and coffee on top; for cappuccino, latte or iced coffee, head to one of the two Dao Heuang coffee shops, one in the courtyard in front of the Catholic church and the other on Sisavangong Rd, just down the road from the bus station.

What to see and do

Savannakhet rewards travellers who slow down and look around. In the central city you can wander past old French colonial buildings, especially around the Catholic church and the central plaza, and visit the Co-Cathedral of St. Therese, a historic colonial cathedral built in 1920. On Latsaphanit Road, a private exhibition on the second floor of Lin's Café covers the town's history, with a focus on the downtown's French colonial architecture. Near the Mekong, Wat Sayaphoum is a 16th-century temple that doubles as a high school for novice monks and hosts celebrations for Lao New Year and the boat racing festival after Buddhist Lent. The Dinosaur Museum displays fossils excavated in Xonbouly District, including bones of Pode, Iguanodon and Sauropode; note that the information is in Lao and French only.

Outside the city, That Ing Hang Stupa lies about 13 km northeast and is one of the most revered sites in the country, drawing Buddhists for the Boun Pha ceremony each December. Rather than the busy main road to Seno, take the alternative route through green rural outskirts past Beung Va lake, ideally by bicycle or motorbike. Near the stupa is the entrance to Dong Natad Forest, a provincial protected area with two tribal villages and Nong Lom lake at its centre, where you can watch birds such as teal along with butterflies and rare plants. In town, you can join a class at the Sangha High School at Wat Xayaphoum or the Teacher Training College on the road to Seno to chat with teenagers practising their English, or book a massage at a spa in the centre.

Three days in Savannakhet

Day one: Start in Savannakhet itself, getting your bearings in the old town where French colonial architecture lines the streets and the Mekong forms the western edge of the city. Stop by the Tourist Information office for maps and local advice, then wander the riverfront as the day cools. In the evening, sample Lao and Thai cooking at the night market, and look for Vietnamese-run cafés for a strong coffee.

Day two: Head south into Champhone district to see rural Savannakhet Province at a slower pace, with Lao villages and farmland along the way. Return to town for dinner and a look at the nightlife, which is low-key and centred on a handful of bars and restaurants.

Day three: Visit the Kaysone Phomvihane memorial, dedicated to the Lao leader born in the province, then use the town as a base for onward travel. Buses run to Pakse, Tha Khaek, Si Phan Don, Sekong, Salavan and Attapeu, while Lao Airlines and Lao Skyway serve Vientiane; VIP and local buses cover the longer routes.

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