See

Hophakaew Museum

Ho Phra Keo

A stunning, elegant, and majestic structure, King Setthathirat's former royal temple, which housed the magical Emerald Buddha (pha kaew) after it was taken from Lanna (Chiang Mai). The Siamese took it back in 1779, and is now housed in Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew. Later the Thais returned in 1828 to raze the temple. The present structure is a 1942 reconstruction of dubious provenance. Today, the temple no longer operates and the interior has been turned into a small jumbled museum housing Buddha images. Look for the beautiful tall, lithe, long-armed Buddha in the hands-down "calling for rain" pose.

museum

Address: Setthathirat Rd
Getting there: Opposite Wat Si Saket
Price: 10,000 kip

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Vientiane, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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See
Wat Si Saket
Sisaket Museum
With very contemplative ambience, probably the oldest standing temple in Vientiane and among the most atmospheric. Built in 1818 by Chao Anou in the Bangkok-style and hence left unsacked when much of Vientiane was razed in a Siamese raid in 1828. Within the cloister walls are hundreds of niches housing Buddha images large and small, made of wood, stone, silver and bronze. In the centre of the courtyard is a five-tier-roofed sim (ordination hall) housing yet more Buddha niches and beautiful, but fading murals of the Buddha's past lives.
5,000 kip
See
Presidential Palace
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Eat
Kualao
Upscale restaurant in a historic colonial building serving authentic Lao food with a good selection of vegetarian dishes. Traditional Lao music and dance performances in the evening.
11:00-14:00 and 18:00-22:00 dailyExpensive by Lao standards with main dishes from US$6-12 and set meals at US$15
Buy
Morning Market
Talat Sao
A large collection of indoor stalls selling, well, pretty much anything. There are two floors: the first floor sells mostly textiles, electronics (watch out as nearly all of them are counterfeit), and watches. The second floor has clothing, gold and jewellery. Depending on the product, you should negotiate. Discounts can vary from 10% to 33%.
Closed · opens 9 am