Savannakhet
city of Laos
Savannakhet (Lao: ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ, pronounced [sā.wǎn.nā(ʔ).kʰȅːt]), officially named Kaysone Phomvihane (Lao: ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ) since 2005, and previously known as Khanthaboury (Lao: ຄັນທະບູລີ), is a city in western Laos. It is the capital of Savannakhet Province. With a population of 125,760 (2018), it is the second-largest city in Laos, after Vientiane. The annual per capita income of Kaysone Phomvihane City is US$2,041 (2018).
Savannakhet has a large 15th-century Buddhist temple, Wat Sainyaphum, a Chinese temple, the Catholic Co-Cathedral of St. Therese and a mosque. The Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge over the Mekong connects to Mukdahan Province in Thailand.
Economy
Savannakhet is an important commercial center in southern Laos. The Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone (SASEZ) has attracted investment in manufacturing, trade and logistics. The city is home to a branch of the Lao Development Bank (LDB) on Oudomsin Road in Sounantha Village.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Savannakhet” is city of Laos. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Savannakhet, city and Laos, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “city of Laos” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q750443. VIAF identifies the subject as 129109439. The Library of Congress control number is n88079806. Authority coordinates are 16.550, 104.750. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2005 and 2018.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Savannakhet”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Savannakhet primary sources, Savannakhet archive and Savannakhet research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Savannakhet” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.