A low-key riverside city
Savannakhet translates roughly to “Golden Land”, and while it was historically a prosperous, promising land for the French colonialists and the Vietnamese and Chinese merchants who followed them, the city has moved on from that bygone golden age.
The city and provincial capital is located on the Mekong River across from Mukdahan, Thailand. Savannakhet doesn’t appear on many tourist itineraries, and its location 25 kilometres off of Route 13 is partially to blame. Those travelling through southern Laos bypass it completely and you will only end up there if you make a point of it.
A large number of “tourists” find themselves in Savannakhet due to the fact that there are two important border points: the second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge just 6 km north of the city, and the Dansavanh/Lao Bao border with Vietnam, the most convenient point of entry to connect Hue and Da Nang to Laos. Both are popular spots for expats and travellers to do ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 1,000 words.)
Please sign in to read the rest of this page. The full text is around 1,000 words.
Log in nowChoose from a free two-day pass right through to a lifetime membership.
Find out more13 other destinations in Southern Laos
Charming island getaway
All about Wat Phu
Waterfalls and chilling out
Real Lao life
The land of the lotus-eaters
Village living
Get a bike and go
Vietnamese boom town
The southern hub
The launching point for that loop
The Broken Bridge
Little-visited
Well off the radar