This situation continued until the arrival of the French and their attempt to colonize what they called Indochina. Occupying both sides of the Mekong, Champasak became increasingly vulnerable to annexation by both French and Siamese. This is effectively what happened. The French saw the Mekong as the route by which the riches of China could be brought back to France and, hence, the acquisition of Champasak was a necessary part of that process. Unfortunately, the falls of Khone and Stung Treng to the south of Paksé rather ended this plan since no boats were able to pass through them. The railway link that the French built, with platforms above and below the falls, was insufficient to stimulate traffic and the rather sad remnants of it may still be viewed today.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Champasak has become little more than a memory and a sense of heritage. The state of Champasak has long been subsumed into the Lao People's Democratic Republic, which has its own methods of nation building. Is it possible that it could ever be recreated? The example of Europe offers an example: as the European Union has grown to cover more and more of the continent and as economic development and cross-border links reduce the importance of political boundaries, there has been something of a resurgence of what many people consider to be more natural physical territories and regions. As a result, these regions have received increasing attention and people have rediscovered the traditions and pride of being part of them. Perhaps at some stage in the future a newly prosperous Southeast Asia could see the re-emergence of some of the many small states that once flourished there.
Archaimbault, Charles, "L'Histoire de Champasak," Journal Asiatique, Vol.249, No.4 (1961).
Simms, Peter and Sanda, The Kingdoms of Laos: Six Hundred Years of History (Richmond: Curzon Press, 1999).
,br> Stuart-Fox, Martin, A History of Laos (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997).
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