Thursday, 24 September 2020 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Asia / Asien Category/Kategorie: General, UNESCO World HeritageReading Time: 4minutes
Pakse is the capital and most populous city of the southern Laotian province of Champasak, making it the second most populous city in Laos. At the confluence of the Xe Don and Mekong Rivers, it has a population of about 88,000. It served as the capital of the Kingdom of Champasak until it was unified with the rest of Laos in 1946.
This city was founded by the French as an administrative outpost in 1905, and was formerly the capital of the Lao Kingdom of Champasak until 1946 when the Kingdom of Laos was formed. During the Franco-Thai War the French ceded Preah Vihear Province from Cambodia and the cis-Mekong part of Champasak Province opposite Pakse from Laos to Thailand. The city served as the primary seat and residence to Prince Boun OumNa Champassak, an important figure in the Laotian Civil War. He built Champasak Palace, but fled in 1974 before it was completed. In May 1975, the town fell to Pathet Lao forces. Since 1975, Pakse has become an economic power and of regional importance. The construction of a bridge over the Mekong, built with Japanese aid, allowing road traffic with Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand, has further integrated the city with neighbouring countries.
The population is predominantly Buddhist and the city has several temples. These include: Wat Luang, which was built in 1935 and is the largest temple in Pakse, and the Chinese temple Wat Sopsé. Pakse is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Paksé led by Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun. The city has the Champasak Provincial Museum, which holds historical documents and artifacts of the province.
Pakse is on National Road 13, the main transportation highway of Laos. It has bridges over the Xe Don, the French and the Russian Bridges, and one bridge over the Mekong River, the Lao Nippon Bridge, only one of five bridges over the Mekong in Laos. Pakse is the gateway to the Bolaven Plateau, as well as to the southern provinces of Salavan, Sekong, and Attapeu. It is served by Pakse International Airport. Pakse Airport construction was completed on 2 November 2009, resuming flights to Vientiane, Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bangkok.
