Attractions in Vientiane

Wat That Khao is a peaceful white-washed temple compound immediately south of Pha That Luang, often overlooked by visitors focused on its famous golden neighbour. The temple features elegant Lao Buddhist architecture and several notable stupa monuments.

Pha That Luang is the most important national monument in Laos and the symbolic heart of Lao Buddhism and sovereignty. This gold-covered great stupa rises 45 metres above the surrounding plains and has been a pilgrimage site since legends place its origin in the 3rd century BCE, when an Ashokan missionary is said to have enshrined a breastbone of the Buddha here.

The Presidential Palace (Haw Kham) is an imposing Beaux-Arts building on the banks of the Mekong, originally built during the French colonial period as the residence of the colonial administrator. Although closed to the public, it is a striking landmark best admired from the riverside road.

The Lao National Cultural Hall is Vientiane's main performing arts venue, hosting traditional Lao music and dance performances, cultural festivals, and occasional international events. The modern building sits along Kaysone Phomvihane Road.

Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan) is a surreal open-air sculpture garden located 25 km southeast of Vientiane along the Mekong River. Created in 1958 by the mystic shaman-priest Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, it contains over 200 concrete Hindu and Buddhist statues ranging from the serene to the bizarre.

Wat Sok Pa Luang is a tranquil forest temple on the southern outskirts of central Vientiane, best known for its traditional Lao herbal sauna, meditation sessions, and peaceful woodland setting — a world away from the city's busier temples.

Wat Si Saket is the oldest surviving temple in Vientiane, having miraculously escaped the Siamese sack of 1828 that destroyed most of the city's religious architecture. Built in 1818 by King Anouvong, its Bangkok-influenced style may have spared it from destruction.

Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan is one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Laos, serving as the centre of Lao Buddhist scholarship and home to the Buddhist Institute. Its name means "Temple of the Heavy Buddha" — a reference to the large 16th-century bronze Buddha image in the sim.

Wat Si Muang is the most actively worshipped temple in Vientiane, considered the spiritual guardian of the city. Locals believe it houses the lak muang (city pillar) and the spirit of a pregnant woman named Nang Si who sacrificed herself during the temple's founding.

That Dam (Black Stupa) is a crumbling, weathered stupa sitting on a traffic roundabout in central Vientiane. According to popular legend, a seven-headed naga (serpent spirit) lives inside it and protected the city's residents during the Siamese invasion of 1828.

Wat Mixai is a centrally located temple distinguished by its heavy Bangkok-style architectural influence, including large and colourful yaksha (demon guardian) statues flanking the entrance gate — a feature rarely seen elsewhere in Vientiane.

Wat In Paeng is one of the most beautifully decorated temples in old Vientiane, renowned for its vivid interior murals and exquisite wood carvings. Though less visited than Wat Si Saket, its artistic detail rewards attentive visitors.

The Mekong Riverside Promenade stretches along the southern edge of central Vientiane, offering a scenic walkway where locals and visitors stroll, exercise, and watch the sunset over the river toward Thailand's Nong Khai province on the opposite bank.