Pakse (or Pakxe; French: Paksé; Laotian: ປາກເຊ [pȁːkséː] 'mouth of the river'; Thai: ปากเซ) is the capital and most populous city of the southern Laotian province of Champasak. Located at the confluence of the Xe Don and Mekong Rivers, the district had a population of approximately 77,900 at the 2015 Laotian census.[1] Pakse was the capital of the Kingdom of Champasak until it was unified with the rest of Laos in 1946.
The city served as the primary seat and residence to Prince Boun OumNa Champassak, an important figure in the Laotian Civil War. The prince began the construction of Champasak Palace, but fled in 1974 before it could be completed. The town fell to Pathet Lao forces in May 1975. After 1975, Pakse acquired substantial economic importance in the region. The construction of a bridge over the Mekong, built with Japanese aid, allows road traffic with Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand and has further connected the city to neighbouring countries.
Demographics
In 1943, 62% of the population of Pakse were Vietnamese.[3] Today, Pakse is home to many ethnic Chinese.[quantify][citation needed]
Religion
Multiple rows of golden statues of the Buddha seated, with yellow and red flowers, at Wat Phou Salao (Golden Buddha temple), in Pakse.
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.[4] Pakse is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Paksé led by Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun.
Culture
The city is the location of the Champasak Provincial Museum, which is a repository of historical documents and artifacts from the province.
Infrastructure
Health
There are two hospitals in the city. One is the second largest in Laos, but many citizens travel across the border to Thailand as Thai hospitals are better equipped.[5] There is a high risk of malaria and dengue fever during the monsoon season.
Transportation
Road
Mekong bridge, Pakse
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, one of only 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.
Source 2: NOAA (humidity 1961–1990 and extremes),[9][10] The Yearbook of Indochina (1932-1933, 1936-1937)[11][12]
Tourism
Pakse is growing as a tourist destination. Visitors to Pakse's Champasak Province have grown from 113,684 in 2006 to 493,180 in 2013.[13] Sites of interest include:
