Skip to main content

Champasak Town

Champasak or Muang Champassak is a small town in southern Laos, on the west bank of the Mekong River about 40 km south of Pakse, the capital of Champasak Province. It is the seat of the Champasak district (muang).

The town was once the seat of the Kingdom of Champasak, an independent Lao state which was abolished by the French in 1945 when they created the Kingdom of Laos, but the last King of Champasak had his palace in Pakse.

Today the town is very small, consisting mostly of guesthouses along the riverbank, catering to tourists visiting the Wat Phou temple ruins some 10 km away.

Former residence of the king of Champasak.
In 1946, when Chao Nhouy or Chao Ratsadanay died, his son Chao Boun Oum Na Champassak became the head of the House of Champassak. He was also appointed as Inspector General for Life in Laos, in lieu of him agreeing not to make a claim on the Lao throne.

  • Boun Oum was forced to leave Laos and become a political refugee in France in 1975. He died in France on March 17, 1980.
  • See more at Kingdom of Champasak - Wikipedia.

Chao Boun Oum's Palace.
Former palace of Chao Boun Oum (the king's younger brother), built in 1952.


See also

Source

Location

Location: Muang Champassak, Laos