CIVIBADemocracy and Civic Practices

Space · Neighbourhood or village

Champasak and Vat Phou

Champasak · South · Laos

Participatory urbanismCommons and belonging2001

A 39,000 ha cultural landscape, World Heritage since 2001, home to more than 50 villages and the town of Champasak. The 2015 UNESCO-ICOMOS mission found that the liaison committee with the villages no longer existed and called for genuine consultation. According to a second-hand source, in 2002 the province forcibly moved more than 100 households from Ban Nong Sa for an archaeological park. After fifteen years of ticket sales under a private concession, the province has run the site since September 2026.

Led by
The Vat Phou Champasak World Heritage office, with the rank of a provincial department; restoration work by France (EFEO and AFD's CHAMPA programme), Korea and India
Status
Active
Participation
Institution led
Visitable
Yes, a lived-in town and landscape, with paid entry to the temple; respect the residents
Website
www.vatphou-champassak.com ↗
Contact
No public contact on record
Last reviewed
1 October 2026

Verification

Verified

This place is backed by at least one primary and one secondary source, reviewed within the last twelve months. The sources appear below with their consultation dates.

  • Verified two sources including a primary one, or first-hand knowledge of the place
  • Partial one source on record
  • Unverified starting knowledge, sources pending

Sources

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