Concentrated around Talat Yen Square, which comes to life at around 4.30pm when the night market opens, the residential properties in Savannakhet's old colonial quarter were built in two waves, the first in the 1920s and 1930s, the second during the 1950s. They combine to form a harmonious ensemble, laid out along a regular grid system of streets. To the east of the square, St Teresa's Church, dating from the 1920s, acts as a constant landmark in the heart of the old town.