Champasak ( "càmpàːsák") is a small town in southern
Laos, on the west bank of the
Mekong River about 40km south of
Pakxe, the capital of
Champasak Province.
The town was once the seat of the
Kingdom of Champasak, an independent Lao state which was abolished by the
French in
1945 when they created the Kingdom of Laos, but the last King of Champasak had his palace in
Pakxe. Today the town is very small, consisting mostly of guesthouses along the riverbank, catering to tourists visiting the
Wat Phu temple ruins some 10km away.