The Mekong bank
Sunset over the river.
Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ondřej Žváček — CC BY 2.5 · Michael Gunther — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mattun0211 — CC0 · Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Champasak is a small town in southern Laos on the west bank of the Mekong River, about 25 km south of Pakse in a straight line and about 40 km by road. It is the seat of Champasak district. The town was once the seat of the Kingdom of Champasak, an independent Lao state that came to an end in 1945 when the Kingdom of Laos was created; its last king lived in a palace in Pakse. Large old two-storey colonial-style houses still stand in the town. Today it is very quiet, with a main street running along the river lined with guesthouses, small restaurants and a temple with a colourful roof. Rice fields and water buffalo surround it, and behind it rises Phou Kao, whose peak is likened to a sacred Hindu symbol, looking over the broad Mekong. Most visitors stay here to be near the Vat Phou temple ruins, about 8 km away, and many ride there by bicycle. It is a good place for a quiet night and a sunset over the river.
Sunset over the river.
Colonial style.
And water buffalo.
West bank of the Mekong, Champasak province, Laos
By bicycle or tuk-tuk.
At least one night.