Pakse History
In the Pakse area, there are about 62 tourist sites: 32 natural, 7 historical, and 27 cultural. There are many French colonial style buildings remaining in the city. From Sedon Bridge, often called 'old bridge' by the people of Champasack, you can walk around to see the old French style quarter. The Lao – Japan Mekong River Bridge was constructed in 2002 and is a route to Thailand.
Wat Poratana Sadsadaram (Wat Luang Temple) is located in the center of Pakse district. It is a temple that consists of traditional and new style constructions. There is a library, which was built in the last decade and a shrine with amazing wall paintings and excellent sculpturs .There are also interesting temples located close to the city including Wat Phabat, one called 'Wat Tamfai temple' and Wat Chomphet. There are big festivals in Pakse district every year, including the boat racing festival which consists of the Miss Nava Competition and many boats from all over the province. There is a parade of big Mark Beng (folded banana leaves) which is held during Ork Pan Sa day (Buddhist day) in mid-October. You may also want to see the Stone Buddha sculpture work of the people in Chomphet village. The Stone Buddha here is well know by Lao Buddhists. For people who like going shopping, there is a new Pakse Market, shopping center and other small markets around Pakse where you can buy local handicraft for reasonable prices.
