CIVIBADemocracy and Civic Practices

Space · Neighbourhood or village

Savannakhet Old Town

Kaysone Phomvihane (Savannakhet) · Central · Laos

Reuse of vacancyParticipatory urbanism2020 (CHAMPA)

A colonial old town on the Mekong, with Lao, French and Franco-Chinese architecture, almost all private and badly run down in 2018. Since 2020 the CHAMPA programme (AFD and EFEO) has funded a master plan, the provincial museum and public space with a top-down, tourism-led approach: there is no record of what its call for ideas from associations funded. The old Lao Chaleun cinema, abandoned since the 1990s, went from informal reuse (shops, galleries and a night market from 2022) to a private multiplex at the end of 2024.

Led by
The provincial Information, Culture and Tourism office, with AFD's CHAMPA programme (11 million euros shared with Vat Phou) and the EFEO; the buildings are almost all privately owned
Status
Active
Participation
Institution led
Visitable
Yes, a lived-in old town with an evening market every day; respect the residents
Website
www.tourismsavannakhet.org ↗
Contact
No public contact on record
Last reviewed
1 October 2026

Verification

Partially verified

This place has at least one source on record and awaits a second one for contrast. Full verification will arrive in the review phase of the atlas.

  • 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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