Savannakhet or officially known as Kaysone Phomvihane is famous for its St Theresa's Catholic Church among others in which it is the largest Catholic church that can be found within the city, probably one of the oldest around as well, having built in the 1920s. It is also known for being the birthplace of Kaysone Phomvihane, the leader of Laos that came into power after the dissolution of the Laos kingdom. Found in the Savannakhet Province, the city is the provincial capital, as well as the second-largest city in the country after Vientiane. Like most other cities within Laos, Savannakhet has a French quarter within the city areas, while having more development coming around town due to its proximity to Thailand and its growing economy.

Airports in Savannakhet

Savannakhet Airport

Savannakhet Airport is the primary airport of Savannakhet which is meant to serve the city in addition to the nearby regions. The airport can be found about 3 kilometres away from the city centre of Savannakhet. At an elevation of 155 meters, Savannakhet Airport has a 1,633 meters runway that is made of concrete. It is currently mainly served by Lao Airlines mostly as an immediate stop for trips from Pakse to Bangkok. In addition to that, flights are heading to Vientiane as well. It would cost around RM2,656 to RM4,393 to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Savannakhet with Malaysia Airlines and Lao Airlines with connecting flights.

How to Get Cheap Flights to Savannakhet?

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When is the Best Time to Fly to Savannakhet?

The off-peak season to visit Savannakhet is typically in August during the end of summer which will make it less comfortable to travel. However, this could be an excellent opportunity to get reasonable offers and visit places with much lesser crowds too, since the prices of flight and accommodation will drop. Therefore, if you want to save money, you can look forward to go to Savannakhet around this time. The peak season in Savannakhet is the months of January, February and April, which is during the mid to end of winter as well as the middle of spring because of the much more comfortable temperature and humidity. Nonetheless, the best time to visit Savannakhet is from December to February, which is at the start and the end of the winter season.

Savannakhet has a tropical savanna climate according to the Köppen climate classification with some subtropical climate characteristics, given that the city is found 16.5 degrees north of the equator. The annual precipitation is usually around 1,588.7 millimetres with average precipitation days around 2 to 5 days and could go up to 20 days in summer, with the months having the heaviest precipitation from May to September. The temperature extremes are typically ranging from as low as 3 degree Celsius in December to 41.2 degree Celsius in May.

Savannakhet has a lot to offer to the visitors, especially when it comes to celebrations and festivities that are based on the local culture. As such, you can certainly look forward to join in these events as a visitor upon coming to Savannakhet. There is the Ing Hang Festival held in January, in which it is held to show respect to Ing Hang Stupa and Buddhism in general with offerings of Khan Markberg being made. In February, there is the That Phon Festival, a festival consisting of exhibitions of traditional goods, folk songs and sports events for three days and three nights. Moving on, during the 14^th to 16^th of April, the Lao New Year Festival is held, in which the city of Savannakhet will witness some of the biggest celebrations in the country; families will have baci ceremonies and temples will have the Buddha statues placed outside for the people to pour water on them for good luck. Last but not least, there are other festivals like the Rocket Festival in May to June, as well as the Boat Racing Festival and Heuan Hin Festival from October to November.

What are the Top 3 Things to Do in Savannakhet?

Wat Sainyaphum – Wat Sainyaphum is one of the largest and oldest monasteries that can be found in the region of southern Laos. It has been the centre of the local Buddhism activities within the city, having been the site where some of the centuries-old trees can be found. As such, the temple grounds themselves are a sight to behold on their own.

That Ing Hang – That Ing Hang or otherwise known as the Ing Hang Stupa is a sacred site that is said to be the burial place for Buddha's bones, is an essential place for Buddhists in ages. This national treasure of Laos is believed to have been built 450 years ago to commemorate Buddha’s visit to the area.

Musée Des Dinosaures – Also known as the Savannakhet Dinosaur Museum in English, this museum is found about 3 kilometres away from the city centre. The highlight of this museum is the 110-million-year-old fossil from a 1930 major dig in a village 145 kilometres away from the city.