Qualla: Saravan https://qualla.com/saravan en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:36 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/w/6/g/d/saravan-wk/hero-small.webp Qualla: Saravan https://qualla.com/saravan Saravan: Introduction https://qualla.com/saravan/ Photo credit Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0. The original Wat Kang Salavan was destroyed by war in 1972. Its replacement — a Buddhist temple sitting inside a small pond — is beautiful, but the absence of the original is part of the story Saravan tells about itself: a province that has been fought over, logged, and left largely undocumented, yet persists. Colonized first by the Thai and then by the French, the province became a key battleground during Laos's long civil war between the Lao government and the Pathet Lao. Most of the old buildings didn't survive. As of 2022, Saravan had the lowest Human Development Index of any province in Laos — a fact that coexists, without contradiction, with the province's extraordinary natural beauty and cultural depth.

Read more: Saravan on Qualla

Image: Basile Morin | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/6/g/d/saravan-wk/w6gd-saravan-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Saravan: Where the Plateau Begins https://qualla.com/saravan/ Photo credit Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0. The central part of Saravan Province sits on the Bolaven Plateau, an elevated region of remarkable fertility that straddles the borders of Champasak, Xekong, and Saravan provinces. At over 1,000 metres above sea level, the plateau is cooler than the lowlands and famously well-wat...

Read more: Saravan on Qualla

Image: Basile Morin | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/6/g/d/saravan-wk/w6gd-saravan-where-the-plateau-begins.mp3 0:06 2 full Saravan: Layers of Community https://qualla.com/saravan/ Photo credit Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0. Saravan is among the most ethnically diverse provinces in a country that is itself highly diverse. The provincial capital — a sleepy, unassuming town — serves as a hub for communities that speak different languages and maintain distinct ways of life scattered across the surroundi...

Read more: Saravan on Qualla

Image: Basile Morin | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/6/g/d/saravan-wk/w6gd-saravan-layers-of-community.mp3 0:06 3 full Saravan: The Weight of the Civil War https://qualla.com/saravan/ Photo credit Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0. The battles between the Royal Lao government and the Pathet Lao that swept through Saravan during the 1960s and 1970s didn't just destroy buildings. They displaced communities, disrupted livelihoods, and left the province with a developmental deficit that decades of peace haven't...

Read more: Saravan on Qualla

Image: Basile Morin | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/6/g/d/saravan-wk/w6gd-saravan-the-weight-of-the-civil-war.mp3 0:06 4 full Saravan: The Bolaven Loop https://qualla.com/saravan/ Photo credit Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0. For travellers, the most popular way to experience Saravan Province is by motorcycle, following what's known as the Bolaven Loop — a circuit through the plateau that passes waterfalls, coffee farms, and minority villages. The route can be joined from Pakse and weaves through Sara...

Read more: Saravan on Qualla

Image: Basile Morin | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/6/g/d/saravan-wk/w6gd-saravan-the-bolaven-loop.mp3 0:06 5 full