Ho Prabang, pagoda of the royal palace, Luang Prabang, Laos LAOS KNOW, PRESERVE AND ENHANCE THE CULTURAL HERITAGE IN CHAMPASAK AND SAVANNAKHET (CHAMPA) Ho Prabang © Thierry Duplan for AFD A buried pre-Angkorian city, a monumental complex on a mountainside, a road leading to Angkor and a network of temples, a treasure of gold and silver never shown to the public, some of the oldest Buddhist remains ... The cultural heritage of South Laos deserves to be better known, protected and promoted. CONTEXT 01/06/2020 01/07/2025 After 20 years of cooperation for the preservation of Luang Project start Project end Prabang, AFD and the Ministry of Information, Culture and date date Tourism are pursuing their joint action in Champasak and Savannakhet. District de Champasak (Province de Champasak), Ville The Vat Phu - Champasak cultural landscape, classified as a de Kaysone Phomvihane (Province de Savannakhet) World Heritage site since 2001, includes the centuries-old Vat Location Phu sanctuary overlooking the Mekong River, a buried capital from the beginning of Khmer history, and the peaceful village Sustainable Cities of Champasak, the more recent capital of the Lao kingdom of sector(s) the same name. Grant Savannakhet province has preserved important remains from financing tool(s) several eras, from remote prehistory through the protohistoric, pre-Angkorian, Mone, Angkorian, Lao Lan Xang and colonial 6 000 000 EUR periods to the contemporary age. A treasure of exceptional Financing amount value, dated to the end of the 1st millennium, was discovered 5 ans there in 2008 but could never be exhibited to the public. Duration of funding ONGOING DESCRIPTION Status In Champasak, the project aims to improve knowledge of the Vat Phu - Champasak World cultural heritage, through a high-precision LIDAR topographical Heritage Office survey and the continuation of archaeological research; it Savannakhet Provincial Office of Culture, Information and Tourism includes the enhancement of several heritage sites and Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient buildings, and the creation of tourist products (tours, crafts) to Beneficiaries create a real destination for national, regional and international tourists who will thus be tempted to extend a currently very short stay. This will be accompanied by economic opportunities for the local population, who will also benefit from refurbished public spaces and will be able to get involved in the implementation of the project through a call for ideas. In Savannakhet, the project aims to define a long-term master plan for the improvement of territorial attractiveness and tourism development. The first stages of its implementation will be financed: the enhancement of the treasure and the renovation of the provincial museum. The project will be implemented partly by the Lao Government (Vat Phu - Champasak World Heritage Office and the Information, Culture and Tourism Service of Savannakhet) and partly by the École française d'Extrême-Orient. IMPACTS The project aims both to discover and preserve an exceptional and little-known cultural heritage and to develop sustainable tourism, a sector which contributes to 15% of GDP and 11% of jobs in Laos..