Savannakhet

Languid, time-trapped and ghostly quiet during the sweltering days that batter the old city’s plasterwork, Savannakhet is a beguiling mix of yesteryear coupled with increasingly modern commerce. The best it has to offer is the historic quarter with its staggering – and that might just be the right adjective – display of decaying early 20th century architecture. Leprous and listing, these grand old villas of Indochina’s heyday now lie unwanted like aged dames crying out for a makeover. There’s little to do in town but amble the riverfront and plonk yourself down in a local noodle shop or one of a clutch of stylish restaurants and bijou cafes that are steadily growing in number.

That said there’s loads to do nearby and Savannakhet has a very dedicated tourist information centre and eco-guide unit who have myriad intrepid trips into the nearby NPAs.

Savannakhet is on a simple north–south grid and although large is pretty easy to navigate on foot.

When the best time to visit Savannakhet

The best time to be visiting Savannakhet is when average temperature levels are at its most comfortable. Comfortable high temperature levels of 20°C to 30°C prevail throughout the year in Savannakhet making it an all year round travel destination. April is generally the hottest time of the year with the possibility of average temperature levels hitting 29.5°C or above. The coldest time is generally during December with pleasant temperature levels of 21.2°C and lower. No matter which time of the year you choose to travel Savannakhet the area has something promising to offer you in terms of outdoor activities from hiking, boating, trekking to cycling and many others.

Getting There & Away

Air

Savannakhet’s airport is served solely by Lao Airlines, with domestic connections to Vientiane (55 minutes) at 1.25pm on Monday and at 9.30am and 3pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and Bangkok (80 minutes) on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at 10.35am.

Please contact us to book flight ticket.

Motorcycle & Bicylce

Motorcycles can be hired at Souannavong Guest House and Nongsoda Guest House for 70,000K to 80,000K per day. The eco-guide unit provides a comprehensive list of places that hire out motorbikes. There are also a few places to rent bicycles, most along Th Ratsavongseuk, charging about 10,000K per day.

Bus

Savannakhet’s bus terminal, usually called the khíw lot, is near the Talat Savan Xai at the northern edge of town. Buses leave here for Vientiane (75,000K, eight to 11 hours, 457km) roughly every half hour from 6am to 11.30am. From 1.30pm to 10pm you’ll have to hop on a bus passing through from Pakse. They stop at Tha Khaek (30,000K, 2½ to four hours, 125km). There are also hourly sŏrngtăaou and minivan departures (30,000K) to Tha Khaek from 8am to 4pm. A VIP sleeper bus (120,000K, six to eight hours) to Vientiane leaves at 9.30pm, or you could try to pick up a seat on one of the VIP buses coming through from Pakse.

Ten buses to Pakse (45,000K, five to six hours, 230km) originate here, the first at 7am and the last one at 10pm. Otherwise jump on one of the regular buses passing through from Vientiane. There’s also a daily bus to Don Khong (80,000K, six to eight hours, 367km) at 7pm, and two daily buses to Attapeu (80,000K, eight to 10 hours, 410km) at 9am and 7pm.

Buses leave for the Laos–Vietnam border at Dansavanh (four to six hours, 236km) at 7am, 8.30am and 11am, stopping at Sepon (four to five hours).

To Vietnam, there’s a bus to Dong Ha (about seven hours, 350km), departing at 8am on even-numbered dates. For Hue, there’s a local bus (about 13 hours, 409km) daily at 10pm and a VIP bus (about eight hours) at 10.30am from Monday to Friday. There’s also a bus to Danang (about 10 hours, 508km) on Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 10pm; the same bus continues to Hanoi (about 24 hours, 650km), but we reckon you’d have to be a masochist to consider this journey.

Sights & Activities

Wat Rattanalangsi

Wat Rattanalangsi was built in 1951 and houses a monks’ primary school. The sĭm (ordination hall) is unique in that it has glass windows (most windows in Lao temples are unglazed). Other structures include a rather gaudy Brahma shrine, a modern săhláh lóng tám (sermon hall) and a shelter containing a 15m reclining Buddha backed by Jataka (stories of the Buddha’s past lives) paintings.

Musée Des Dinosaures

In 1930 a major dig in a nearby village unearthed 200-million-year-old dinosaur fossils. The enthusiastically run Dinosaur Museum is an interesting place to divert yourself for an hour or so. Savannakhet Province is home to five dinosaur sites.

Savannakhet Provincial Museum

The Savannakhet Provincial Museum is a good place to see war relics, artillery pieces and inactive examples of the deadly UXO (unexploded ordnance) that has claimed the lives of more than 12,000 Lao since the end of the Secret War.

Wat Sainyaphum

The oldest and largest monastery in southern Laos. The large grounds include some centuries-old trees and a workshop near the river entrance that’s a veritable golden-Buddha production line.

Eating & Drinking

Lin’s Café

This chic cafe in a former 1930s Chinese merchant’s house is on a pretty side street radiating off the old square by St Theresa’s Catholic Church. Inside it’s a mix of antique and modern furniture, easy tunes and coffee with attitude. There are also fruit shakes, stir-fries, vegie dishes, breakfasts, fruit salads and láhp, and they even make bacon sandwiches!

Add to this a book exchange, loads of local info brochures and, upstairs, a photo exhibition of all Savanakhet’s surviving historic houses.

Chai Dee

Run by friendly Moto, this Japanese cafe is a real traveller magnet. And with good reason: there are rattan mats to lounge on, books to exchange, cool t-shirts for sale and a wide menu of samosas, homemade yoghurt, Thai food and tofu, plus healthy shakes.

Savan Restaurant

In an oddly romantic outdoor setting with bamboo stands and private compartments, this place is all about sìin dàat (Korean-style barbecue). They also dish breakfasts, fruit salads, pad thai and soup.

Dao Savanh

With its elegant colonial facade this cool, square-facing restaurant is the city’s finest. Fans whir and wine glasses clink as you tuck into a French-accented menu of soups, grilled entrecôte and lamp chop Provençal. The upstairs restaurant is the classy sister (open evenings only) while downstairs the cafe is open all day with salads, sandwiches and croque-monsieur.