Suwannaphum

Suwannaphum, also called Mueang Thong, was an early Lao centre in the Chi River basin on the Khorat Plateau. In 1718 an official serving Nokasad of Champasak led some three thousand followers to establish the town. Political conflict later divided its ruling families: Suwannaphum separated from Champasak in 1763, and another group left to found Roi Et in 1775. These settlements helped extend Lao communities across the interior of the plateau.