Savannakhet
The settlement of Savannakhet was formerly called "Khanthaboury". Then it became "Savannakhet". Its name was changed to "Kaysone Phomvihane" in 2005, while retaining its status as the provincial capital of Savannakhet Province. The city is the birthplace of Kaysone Phomvihane, the first leader of Laos from 1975 to 1992 after the dissolution of the Kingdom of Laos. In 2018, its status was upgraded to that of a "city". In order to attain city status, a district or municipality must be financially self-sufficient and have a population of at least 60,000 persons. The city is served by Savannakhet Airport. Savannakhet features a tropical savanna climate ("Aw") according to Köppen climate classification with a little subtropical climate characteristics as the city located 16.5° north of the equator. The hottest month is April (mean = ) with temperature ranging from to , while the coolest month is December (mean = ) with temperature ranging from to . The diurnal temperature variation seems to be greater during winter due to dry conditions. The city experiences dry season during winter months and wet season during summer months due to activation of monsoon. The driest month is December with precipitation total , while the wettest month is August with precipitation total .
Name change
Savannakhet (ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ), officially named Kaysone Phomvihane (; ) since 2005 and previously known as "Khanthaboury" (ຄັນທະບູລີ), is a city in western Laos. It is the capital of Savannakhet Province.