Overview

Champasak is a province in southwest Laos, adjacent to Thailand and Cambodia. This is one of the three territories located in Laos, in the Lan Xang Kingdom. Champasak province covers an area of 15,415 km², borders Salavan province to the north, Sekong province to the northeast, Attapeu province to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west. The Mekong River is a part of the border with neighboring Thailand. The Si Phan Don archipelago is located in the south of the province, bordering Cambodia.

Champasak has about 20 temples. The ruins of the Khmer empire of Wat Phou are located in the heart of Champasak district. Wat Phou was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on December 14, 2001. It is the second area in Laos to be recognized. The temple complex is built in the Khmer style, overlooking the Mekong River and is an important Hindu temple of the Khmer Empire. At the same location are the ruins of other Angkor monuments. Wat Phou Asa is an ancient Hindu-Khmer temple built on the flat rock of Phou Kao Klat Ngong Mountain in Pathoumphone District. Wat Wat Luang and Wat Tham Fai were built in 1935. There is a monastery and a small Buddha shrine on Wat Phra Bat and Wat Tham Fai.

Tormor Rocky Channel is the 15th national heritage site in Laos located about 11 km southeast of the Wat Phou Champasak on the left bank of the Mekong River. Besides, the Historic Heritage Museum of Champasak in Pakse provides deep knowledge about the history of Laos as well as its cultural and artistic heritage.