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Voykit pocket guide · Laos
Savannakhet
ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ
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.
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.
- Country
- Laos
- Local name
- ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hot, up to 35°C), Aug–Sep (wettest)Mar–May (hot, up to 95°F), Aug–Sep (wettest)
- Stay
- 1–2 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 150,000–250,000 kip excl. bed · Mid 250,000–450,000 kip excl. bed · High 450,000+ kip 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 |
|---|---|
| Baguette or roti from a street vendor | 5,000–15,000 kip |
| Noodle soup or rice plate | 15,000–35,000 kip |
| Beerlao, restaurant / shop | 15,000–25,000 / 10,000–15,000 kip |
| Dinosaur Museum entry | 10,000 kip |
| Tuk-tuk within the centre | 20,000–50,000 kip |
| ATM withdrawal fee | about 20,000 kip per transaction |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | 100,000–200,000 kip |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ZVK · Savannakhet Airport
- About 3 km from downtown; Lao Airlines and Lao Skyway fly to and from Vientiane — check current schedulesAbout 1.9 mi from downtown; Lao Airlines and Lao Skyway fly to and from Vientiane — check current schedules
Typical fares
- 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
Get 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.Walk or cycle the centre; the old quarter, riverside and market are within 0.9 mi. 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 and do
Known for
- French colonial quarter and plaza
- Dinosaur Museum
- That Ing Hang stupa
- Mekong crossing to Mukdahan
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| That Ing Hang stupa | Tuk-tuk, or bicycle via the rural road past Beung Va lake | 13 km northeast; allow about 1 h each way by tuk-tuk (check)8.1 mi northeast; allow about 1 h each way by tuk-tuk (check) |
| Dong Natad Forest | Same road as That Ing Hang; tuk-tuk or motorbike | About 45 min |
| Mukdahan, Thailand | Local bus over the Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, roughly hourly | About 1 h plus border time (check) |
| Lao Bao border, Vietnam | Local bus via Sepon, 07:30, 09:00 and 12:00Local bus via Sepon, 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM | About 5 h |
Sleep
- 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.1.2 mi north of the centre; cheaper guesthouses, but you need a tuk-tuk for everything else.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | ສະບາຍດີsabaidee |
| Thank you | ຂອບໃຈkhop chai |
| How much is it? | ລາຄາເທົ່າໃດ?lakhā thao dai |
| Too expensive | ແພງໂພດphaeng phōt |
| Where is the toilet? | ຫ້ອງນ້ຳຢູ່ໃສ?hong nam yu sai |
| Can I pay by card? | ຈ່າຍດ້ວຍບັດໄດ້ບໍ?chai duai bat dai bo |
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
- 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.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Savannakhet yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- French colonial quarter and plaza
- Dinosaur Museum
- That Ing Hang stupa
- Mekong crossing to Mukdahan
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Lao Airlines: www.laoairlines.com/
- BCEL (bank and ATMs): www.bcel.com.la/bcel/
- Wikivoyage: Savannakhet, revision 5256730 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5256730
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Savannakhetສະຫວັນນະເຂດ
ໄປບ່ອນນີ້ແດ່
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Savannakhet; most are in Vientiane. The Thai consulate is in Savannakhet — check current services and hours.
Kip is king: pay in kip, change money at a bank or a jewellery shop, and keep small notes for tuk-tuks and markets.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/savannakhet). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.