Savannakhét is a province of Laos, The name Savannakhet comes from the words Savanh Nakhone, which means "city of paradise", the province's original name. located in the south of the country. It is bordered by Khammouan to the north, Salavan to the south, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue of Vietnam to the east and Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan of Thailand to the west.
The town was initially bombed and subsequently occupied by Thai armed forces during the French-Thai War.
In 2007, the Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River from Savannakhet to Mukdahan, Thailand was opened.