Savannakhet is a classic leftover from the French colonial period -- petanque included. Historically this provincial capital was a French trading outpost, and wandering around town you'll still find the occasional trader's house -- both French and Chinese merchants made the town their home.

When the road to Lao Bao was sealed and the border with Vietnam opened, this became the gateway for overland travellers, kicking off a transformation into a tourist town that's still gradually evolving. The newest addition to this east-west 'trade corridor' is the Mekong Bridge, the second of the Lao-Thai 'Friendship' bridges, 4km north of the town centre, which now connects Savannakhet with Mukdahan. But the bridge, so far, seems to be more symbolic than functional, with commercial and private traffic greatly restricted -- the only way for travellers to get across is to book a tour bus, or walk across if your legs are up to it -- on our visit we saw precious few lorries loaded with the fruits of trade traversing the span.

Orientation
Savannakhet is arrayed along the Mekong river, with the Thai border town of Mukdahan perched on the other side just across the water. Unlike Pakse, Vientiane, or Luang Prabang, there's no real concentration of tourist activity -- in fact, the offerings are scattered about town with no clearly definable 'centre of things.' There's a 'main square' near the centre close to the river, but it's just an empty concrete expanse around which neighbouring businesses have failed to thrive -- the two hotels near the square are abandoned and the old favourite Cafe De Paris has closed its doors.

The town is laid out in what is mostly a grid structure, but this makes getting around more confusing by virtue of the fact that many of the streets look similar, are unmarked, and the names are a mystery to most of the locals.

Ratsavong Seuk Rd wins the race to become the 'main drag' by a photo finish, with a couple of places to stay, most of Savannakhet's internet places, and easy access to both the banks and the Vietnamese Embassy.

Accommodation options, good and bad, are scattered all over the place -- the spots further from the river are stuffy tour-group operations of little interest to Western travellers. Even the more central places are a bit far flung, and, to make matters worse, tuk-tuks and songtheaw are hard to come by, except at key transportation points, like the boat landing at the border and the bus station.

The town's biggest market, Savanxai, is off-the map, 2km north of the centre, on Makhasavan Rd near the bus station. Perhaps more than anywhere else in Southern Laos, renting a bicycle or a motorbike is a really good idea. Unfortunately, motorbike rentals are not strictly legal here, and only a handful of places currently make them available.

The BCEL on Ratsavong Seuk Rd is the place to head for most of your money needs -- open weekdays, 8:30 to 15:30, Western Union is available here, and also at the Post Office. There's also a branch of the Lao Development Bank around the corner to the north on Oudomsin Rd.

The post office is inconveniently located on Khantabuli Rd, south of the main square, but with generous opening hours daily from 08:00 22:00, Western Union weekdays from 08:00 to 16:30 only. Overseas phone calling is available in the 6 to 10,000 kip-per-minute range depending on the country, but you'll also find calling services at some of the internet places on Ratsavong Seuk Rd.

There's an ample number of internet places scattered around town, typically open from 08:00 to 22:00, and the going rate is 4,000 kip per hour, which ain't bad. Services are generally good, with faxing, printing, memory-card readers and CD burning standard at most places. The densest concentration is between the BCEL and the Xayamoungkhong Guest House on Ratsavong Rd.

The Vietnamese Consulate is located on Sisavangvong Rd, open weekdays from 07:30 to 11:00 and 13:30 to 16:00. One-month visas cost US$45 for most nationalities, take four working days to process, and you can pick the date you want the visa to start. Remember to bring a recent, passport-sized picture of yourself. You get to keep your passport while you're waiting for the visa. Six-month, multi-entry visas are harder to get here than elsewhere, so unless you have all your paperwork in order, head to a consulate in a larger city.

If you're looking for a good book to read, most of the guesthouses have at least a few lying around. Swapping and selling don't seem to be a priority anywhere, but we like to think the 'take one leave one' policy should still hold anyway. The Xayamoungkhong Guesthouse has some books -- mostly in French -- some hysterically old and unreadable (University-Level Calculus anyone?) Cafe Chez Boune has a good selection, again mostly in French, but a good bit of English.

To tour the NBCA's, you can head straight to the Tourist Room just south of the 'main square.' It's a good idea to get your name on the list at least a day in advance.

If you're looking for a tuk-tuk, they mostly hang out down by the Immigration Office on the boat landing, just east of the semi-abandoned 'main square.' We also found a lot of them coursing up and down Ratsavong Seuk Rd. Other locations seem to be less frequently trafficked, but hailing a ride should still be possible. Most rides within town, including the bus station, should be from 5,000 to 10,000 kip per person.

Bicycle rentals are widely available for US$2 per day. Motorcycle rentals are harder to come by -- apparently they're not quite legal anymore, the practice having been discontinued due to the number of accidents. Some places, such as the Nong Soda Hotel, the Leena Guesthouse, and the Xayamoungkhong Guesthouse still rent them, nevertheless, for about US$7 or 8 per day. Riding around town, it becomes apparent why there may be more potential for accidents here than elsewhere, and it's not all the tourists' fault: the traffic patterns here are a disorderly mix of Vietnamese and Laos styles of driving that's hard to get used to.

Border affairs
The boat landing to head over to the Thai town of Mukhdahan is located just west of the 'main square.' Hours are daily from 08:00 to 16:00 Visa on arrival is available if you're coming through from Thailand. Getting stamped out of Laos costs 20B weedays, 70B on weekends and holidays.

The ferry to the other side costs 50B but runs on a limited schedule:
Weekdays: six departures between 9:10 and 16:00
Saturday: 9:30, 11:10, 14:30, 16:00
Sunday: 09:30, 11:10, 15:00

If you the boat schedule doesn't meet your needs, head out to Savannakhet's main bus station. Buses to Mukdahan cost 50B, with regular departures all day until 17:00. They cross the new 'Friendship Bridge,' 4km north of town, which you can also walk across if you arrive on your own steam. It's about a kilometre long, and crossing the bridge has become a popular activity for locals who get a big kick out of the novelty of it.