The small town has a population of about 38,215 and lies on the banks of the Mekong River. The city is dominated by a central marketplace surrounded by old, French colonial buildings. Red flowered trees grow in rows along the riverbank.
The town includes big islands with white sand beaches within the Mekong. The stretch of river north of the city is home to a group of rare Irrawaddy dolphins. The dolphins are the town's main tourist attraction.