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Major city · Laos

Savannakhetສະຫວັນນະເຂດ

Stop 1–2 nights if you are crossing to Thailand or Vietnam; otherwise skip it — the sights are thin and the bus from Vientiane takes 9 hours.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
LAK
Best months
Nov–Feb
avoid Mar–May (hot, up to 35°C), Aug–Sep (wettest)
Airport
ZVK
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
  • Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
  • Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
  • Laos ↗Get the visa only from the official government e-visa portal or at the airport or border desk; lookalike sites charge extra.
  • Laos ↗Carry Lao kip in small notes; small shops, tuk-tuks and markets are cash-only, and Thai baht or US dollars are only accepted at some tourist businesses.
  • Laos ↗At dawn alms-giving, watch from across the street, keep quiet, never use flash and never touch a monk.

Savannakhet is Laos's second-largest city and a Mekong crossing point: the Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge runs to Mukdahan in Thailand, while Vietnam is reached by road east via Sepon to the Lao Bao border. The old French quarter is walkable in an afternoon, the dinosaur museum takes 30 minutes, and That Ing Hang stupa is the one sight worth a tuk-tuk. Most travellers use it as a border town, not a destination.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Savannakhet, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Street or quick mealBaguette or roti from a street vendor5,000–15,000 kip
  • BeerBeerlao, restaurant / shop15,000–25,00010,000–15,000 kip
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTuk-tuk within the centreAgree before boarding.20,000–50,000 kip
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week100,000–200,000 kip
  • Museum or sight ticketDinosaur Museum entry10,000 kip
  • Budget bedGuesthouse dorm or fan room, a night, per personLAK 60,000
  • Mid-range bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomLAK 220,000
  • High-end bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomLAK 450,000

A day, not counting the bed: Budget LAK 150,000 · Mid LAK 300,000 · High LAK 600,000

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

French colonial quarter and plazaDinosaur MuseumThat Ing Hang stupaMekong crossing to Mukdahan
Airports
ZVK Savannakhet Airport (About 3 km from downtown; Lao Airlines and Lao Skyway fly to and from Vientiane — check current schedules)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Savannakhet: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

30°C

16°C

1 rd

Feb

32°C

18°C

2 rd

Mar

34°C

22°C

4 rd

Apr

35°C

24°C

7 rd

May

34°C

25°C

15 rd

Jun

33°C

25°C

17 rd

Jul

31°C

25°C

19 rd

Aug

31°C

25°C

21 rd

Sep

31°C

24°C

17 rd

Oct

31°C

22°C

8 rd

Nov

31°C

19°C

2 rd

Dec

29°C

16°C

1 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Walk or cycle the centre; the old quarter, riverside and market are within 1.5 km. Tuk-tuks for That Ing Hang and the bus station — agree the price before you get in. Renting a reliable motorbike in town can be hard; minor roads outside the centre are poorly paved.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

That Ing Hang stupa

go

Door to door: 13 km northeast; allow about 1 h each way by tuk-tuk (check)

Tuk-tuk, or bicycle via the rural road past Beung Va lake

A 16th-century stupa, one of the most revered in Laos. Round-trip tuk-tuk about 70,000 kip — agree first.

Dong Natad Forest

caution

Door to door: About 45 min

Same road as That Ing Hang; tuk-tuk or motorbike

Provincial protected area with a lake and birdlife; entrance is near the stupa, so combine the two.

Mukdahan, Thailand

go

Door to door: About 1 h plus border time (check)

Local bus over the Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, roughly hourly

About 50 baht / 14,000 kip one way. Thai ID holders can apply for a 3-day border pass at the bridge from 08:00, 50 baht.

Lao Bao border, Vietnam

caution

Door to door: About 5 h

Local bus via Sepon, 07:30, 09:00 and 12:00

35,000 kip to the border; onward connections to Hue and Dong Ha need a full day or a separate night bus.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Riverside and old plaza

Walk to the Mekong, the French quarter, Lin's Café and the tourist office; best for one night without a motorbike.

Around the bus station

2 km north of the centre; cheaper guesthouses, but you need a tuk-tuk for everything else.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
150,000–250,000 kip excl. bed
Mid
250,000–450,000 kip excl. bed
High
450,000+ kip excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Guesthouse double room1 × 1 night × LAK 220,000LAK 220,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × LAK 300,000LAK 600,000
Tuk-tuk to That Ing Hang, round trip1 × LAK 70,000 · checkLAK 70,000
Vientiane VIP night bus, one way2 × LAK 110,000 · checkLAK 220,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × LAK 150,000 · checkLAK 300,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeLAK 141,000
Trip total≈ LAK 776,000 per person per day, bed includedLAK 1,551,000

2026 estimate in kip; long-distance buses excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Baguette or roti from a street vendor5,000–15,000 kip
Noodle soup or rice plate15,000–35,000 kip
Beerlao, restaurant / shop15,000–25,000 / 10,000–15,000 kip
Dinosaur Museum entry10,000 kip
Tuk-tuk within the centreAgree before boarding.20,000–50,000 kip
ATM withdrawal feecheck; limits vary by bankabout 20,000 kip per transaction
eSIM or data SIM, about a week100,000–200,000 kip

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Calm and low-crime by regional standards; the real risks are heat, unlit roads after dark, unmarked tuk-tuk fares and money-changing at jewellery shops with no receipt.
  • Agree every tuk-tuk fare before the ride; there is no meter.
  • Pay in kip. Vendors who quote in baht often use a rate well above the official one.
  • The Vientiane bus is 8–9 hours; the VIP night bus has air conditioning and fewer stops, and is the comfortable option.
  • At the Friendship Bridge, the bus will not wait while you process a Lao visa unless you ask the driver.
  • Avoid the 22:00 local bus to Hue: you can be held at the border checkpoint from 03:00 until it opens.

Emergency numbers

Police
191
Fire
190
Ambulance
195

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Savannakhetສະຫວັນນະເຂດ

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ໄປບ່ອນນີ້ແດ່To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police191
  • Fire190
  • Ambulance195

Embassy

No embassies in Savannakhet; most are in Vientiane. The Thai consulate is in Savannakhet — check current services and hours.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Savannakhet → Mukdahan, local bus: about 14,000 kip / 50 baht, roughly hourly (check)
  • Savannakhet → Vientiane, VIP night bus: 110,000 kip seated, 120,000 kip bunk, about 8 h (check)
  • Tuk-tuk bus station → centre: about 50 baht / 20,000 kip

Say or show

  • ສະບາຍດີ — Hello (sabaidee)
  • ຂອບໃຈ — Thank you (khop chai)
  • ລາຄາເທົ່າໃດ? — How much is it? (lakhā thao dai)
  • ແພງໂພດ — Too expensive (phaeng phōt)
  • ຫ້ອງນ້ຳຢູ່ໃສ? — Where is the toilet? (hong nam yu sai)
  • ຈ່າຍດ້ວຍບັດໄດ້ບໍ? — Can I pay by card? (chai duai bat dai bo)

Kip is king: pay in kip, change money at a bank or a jewellery shop, and keep small notes for tuk-tuks and markets.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Savannakhet. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Nov–Feb · avoid Mar–May (hot, up to 35°C), Aug–Sep (wettest) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for ZVK: confirm which carrier still flies the Vientiane route, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: old plaza, riverside and Wat Sayaphoum, market and bus station, That Ing Hang road.
  3. Place pages with verified hours (Dinosaur Museum, That Ing Hang, Dong Natad) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Border-day fixtures for the Friendship Bridge and Lao Bao so the crossing legs can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Laos

Sources