Paksan printable guide

Paksan

ປາກຊັນ

Skip Paksan unless you need a break on the Vientiane–Pakse bus: it's a highway town with a market and a couple of waterfalls an hour away.

Paksan is a busy junction on Highway 13, the main north–south road in central Laos. It has a market, basic guesthouses and a few waterfalls in Phou Khao Khouay National Park, but no reason to stop longer than a meal or a night between longer legs.

Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.

Country

Laos

Local name

ປາກຊັນ

Best months

Nov–Feb

Avoid

Mar–May (hot), Jul–Sep (rain)

Stay

0–1 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency: LAK
Money: Lao kip (LAK) in small notes for markets, tuk-tuks and food stalls.
Daily spend: Budget LAK 100,000–200,000 excl. bed · Mid LAK 200,000–400,000 excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data: Unitel, Lao Telecom and ETL sell SIMs at airports and shops; passport registration required.
Emergency: Police 191 · Fire 190 · Ambulance 195
Plugs: Types A, B, C, E, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US and round European pins.
Tipping: Restaurants: Round up or leave LAK 10,000–20,000.; Guides and drivers: LAK 50,000–100,000 a day.; Massage: LAK 20,000–30,000.
Water: Not drinkable from the tap; bottled and refill water everywhere.
Toilets: Western toilets in hotels and cafés; squat toilets with a water scoop at bus stops and markets.

What things cost

Item	Price
Noodle soup at market	LAK 15,000–25,000
Bus Vientiane–Paksan	LAK 50,000–80,000
Bus Paksan–Pakse	LAK 200,000–250,000

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get around

Walkable; the market and bus stops are within a few hundred metres. For waterfalls you need a hired songthaew or motorbike.

See and do

Known for

Highway 13 junction
Market
Phou Khao Khouay National Park waterfalls

Day trips

Where	How	Time
Tad Xay waterfall	Songthaew or motorbike from Paksan, about 1 h	About 2 h
Tad Leuk waterfall	Songthaew or motorbike from Paksan, about 1 h	About 2 h

Sleep

Highway 13 east end: Near the bridge; Paksan Hotel and a few guesthouses.
Near the market: B.K. Guesthouse about 500 m south; family-run, garden setting.

Phrase card

English	Say or show
Hello	ສະບາຍດີsabaidee
Thank you	ຂອບໃຈkhob chai
How much?	ທ່ານເອົາເທົ່າໃດ?thao dai?
Where is the bus?	ລົດເມຢູ່ໃສ?lot me yu sai?

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

Greeting: Nop (palms together) and 'sabaidee'; avoid: Loud greetings and hugs
Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off; avoid: Pointing feet at images; women touching monks
Keeping calm: Stay relaxed; 'bor pen nyang'; avoid: Anger in public
Baci ceremony: Keep the white strings on your wrist for three days; avoid: Cutting them off
Head and feet: Keep feet down; avoid: Touching heads

Scams and watch-outs

Buses pass through on Highway 13; flag them down at the market side of the bridge.
Waterfalls are in the national park, about an hour away; arrange transport in advance.
ATMs may be limited; carry enough kip from Vientiane or Pakse.

Paksan is safe; watch for traffic on Highway 13 and carry cash as ATMs are scarce.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Paksan yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

Highway 13 junction
Market
Phou Khao Khouay National Park waterfalls

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Wikivoyage: Paksan, revision 4317766 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4317766

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Paksanປາກຊັນ

ກະລຸນາໄປທີ່ນີ້

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Police191
Fire190
Ambulance195

Voykit · checked 2026-09