Thakhek

Thakhek (Lao: ທ່າແຂກ, pronounced [tʰāː kʰɛ̏ːk]; Thai: ท่าแขก, pronounced [tʰâː kʰɛ̀ːk]), the capital of Khammouane Province, is a town in south-central Laos on the Mekong River and the administrative centre of the district with the same name. The Third Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, linking Thakhek and Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, across the river, started in 2009 and was opened on 11 November 2011.

Thakhek ທ່າແຂກ ท่าแขก
District & municipality
Thakhek District
Thakhek centre
Thakek District
Thakhek Town location in Laos
Coordinates: 17°24′N 104°48′E
Country	Laos
Province	Khammouane Province
District	Thakhek District
Population  (2015)[1]
• Total	90,800
Time zone	UTC+7 (ICT)

The city has French colonial style official buildings, villas, and shops. In 1943, 85% of the population of Thakhek were Vietnamese due to the French policy of encouraging Vietnamese immigrants to Laos.^[2] Remnants of the abortive Thakhek-Tan Ap railway can be seen in and near the town. The railway would have run between Thakhek and Tân Ấp Railway Station, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam through the Mụ Giạ Pass.

Lao people at the Souk Somboun Market.

View of Thakhek from the banks of the Mekong in Nakhon Phanom.

Climate

Climate data for Thakhek (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	36.6 (97.9)	38.0 (100.4)	40.1 (104.2)	42.8 (109.0)	41.5 (106.7)	37.5 (99.5)	38.0 (100.4)	36.1 (97.0)	36.5 (97.7)	35.6 (96.1)	36.6 (97.9)	36.0 (96.8)	42.8 (109.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29.3 (84.7)	31.2 (88.2)	33.6 (92.5)	34.8 (94.6)	33.7 (92.7)	32.0 (89.6)	31.1 (88.0)	30.8 (87.4)	31.4 (88.5)	31.6 (88.9)	31.0 (87.8)	29.1 (84.4)	31.6 (88.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	24.2 (75.6)	26.0 (78.8)	28.6 (83.5)	30.3 (86.5)	29.7 (85.5)	28.7 (83.7)	28.1 (82.6)	27.9 (82.2)	28.1 (82.6)	27.9 (82.2)	26.6 (79.9)	24.3 (75.7)	27.5 (81.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	16.4 (61.5)	18.3 (64.9)	21.9 (71.4)	24.2 (75.6)	24.9 (76.8)	24.9 (76.8)	24.6 (76.3)	24.4 (75.9)	24.0 (75.2)	22.1 (71.8)	19.6 (67.3)	16.8 (62.2)	21.8 (71.2)
Record low °C (°F)	3.5 (38.3)	7.2 (45.0)	10.2 (50.4)	13.7 (56.7)	16.8 (62.2)	19.5 (67.1)	18.8 (65.8)	19.5 (67.1)	19.0 (66.2)	13.4 (56.1)	10.0 (50.0)	6.1 (43.0)	3.5 (38.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	4.2 (0.17)	22.1 (0.87)	50.8 (2.00)	79.3 (3.12)	238.9 (9.41)	342.2 (13.47)	545.9 (21.49)	562.6 (22.15)	314.0 (12.36)	103.0 (4.06)	13.4 (0.53)	2.6 (0.10)	2,279 (89.72)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	1	2	5	8	15	20	24	25	19	9	3	1	132
Average relative humidity (%)	76.3	73.5	71.4	74.5	80.2	86.2	88.5	88.3	87.3	80.3	77.5	77.2	80.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours	253.4	223.9	215.4	216.7	196.3	137.7	129.4	119.3	147.2	208.1	238.9	253.8	2,340.1
Source 1: NOAA[3][4]
Source 2: The Yearbook of Indochina (1932-1933, humidity 1930-1933)[5]