Things to Do in Vientiane

Vientiane’s Presidential Palace would do the president of any country proud: a grand building with a colonial-era Beaux-Arts feel that belies its relatively recent 1986 construction. While the president’s official working residence is elsewhere, the palace still remains closed to the public.

Vientiane’s Presidential Palace is closed to the public, opening its doors only for receptions and formal events—and even then an invitation is required. As such, the casual visitor’s only option for seeing the palace is by capturing photos from outside the gates. The Presidential Palace is an easy walk from other town center attractions; although some Vientiane city tours include a photo stop here, there are no dedicated Presidential Palace tours.

The Presidential Palace sits in the heart of Vientiane, just steps from Wat Sisaket and the Nam Phou Fountain; Patuxai (Victory Monument) is located less than a mile (1.3 kilometers) to the northeast. It’s easy to swing by for a photo stop when exploring Vientiane on foot or by bicycle; alternatively, a few city tours make a short stop here en route to Patuxai.

As with many architectural subjects, the Presidential Palace is best photographed during the morning or the golden hour—just after sunrise or just before sunset. The building is also illuminated it at night, making it a great topic for evening photography if you have the ISO capacity.

Like so much of Laos, Vientiane’s Presidential Palace displays the influence of the French, who occupied Laos from 1893 until 1954. But it was actually built decades after they left. Construction started in 1973 under the Royal Lao Government and continued during the 1980s under the Communist Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. The building was finished in 1986.

Built in 1818, this Buddhist wat in Vientiane is a surprising nod to Siamese-style architecture in a city where traditional Laotian design reigns supreme. The ancient wat’s cloister walls, which hold thousands of tiny wood, stone and bronze Buddahs from the 16th and 19th centuries, is one of the most unique spots on the temple grounds. 

Early morning visitors will find locals gathering to pray and offer alms at the feet of a hand-carved wooden naga—the serpent deity—as well as amid the more than 6,000 statues of Buddha.  

Perhaps the most important monument in Laos, this 24-carat, 45-meter high golden stupa was built in the 3rd Century and is said to hold a piece of Buddha’s breastbone. Local guides wander the grounds prepared to share with travelers the legend of this religious temple, which resembles the famous lotus flower. Travelers agree it’s worth a visit, but some argue the stupa’s golden splendor is more impressive from afar. 

Vientiane’s answer to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, Patuxai (Victory Monument) towers above this low-rise city in a spectacular mixture of architectural styles: part brutalist, part Napoleonic, part Lao. Besides the elaborate artworks in the monument itself and the views from the top of the structure, it’s home to a wealth of souvenir stalls. 

There is a small charge, payable in cash, to enter Patuxai and climb to the top, which offers sweeping views across the city, Laos, and Thailand. While it’s easy enough to reach independently and doesn’t require a guide, it’s worth joining a tour or hiring a private guide or songthaew (shared truck taxi) pickup to maximize your time. The majority of city tours, both half-day and full-day, stop at Patuxai and allow time to climb.

About a mile (1.5 kilometers) from Nam Phou Square, Patuxai monument is centrally located and easy to find whether you’re walking, cycling, or riding a tuk-tuk or songthaew. It stands about a mile (1.5 kilometers) east of the Mekong on Vientiane’s major boulevard, Lane Xang Avenue, at one end of Patuxai Park.

The Victory Monument is open from morning to afternoon seven days a week, but unfortunately not open for sunset viewing. Visiting late in the day does, however, allow you to soak up the sunset social scene in Patuxai Park. For the best views, try to visit on a clear day, most common in the dry season between November and January. 

A tribute to the Lao who died in long-gone wars, Laos built Patuxai, also known as Victory Gate and Gate of Triumph, with cement that the US had handed over for use in building an airport in the 1960s. That history has given it the affectionate name “the vertical runway.”

Located about 25 kilometers southeast of Vientiane, the Xieng Khuan Buddha Park is a must-see stop for visitors to the country’s capital. The park contains more than 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues made of reinforced concrete, each intricately designed and incredibly unique. These massive outdoor sculptures represent humans, gods, animals and demons, and although the park does not hold the same religious significance as a temple or Wat, its expansive meadow, endless statues and beautiful landscape makes it an ideal spot for photography lovers to spend an afternoon capturing images representative of this nation.

A former temple, Haw Phra Kaew is Laos’ leading museum of religious art. It takes its name from the Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha), a statue carved from a single piece of jade that is now preserved in Bangkok. The grounds of the former temple, originally built in 1565, are also beautiful.

There is a small fee to enter Haw Phra Kaew, which is centrally located and easy to reach on foot or by bicycle from other landmarks. The beautiful Buddhist art here speaks for itself to a degree, but serious culture buffs will get more out of visiting with a private guide as the signage isn’t great. A few Vientiane city tours stop at Haw Phra Kaew and it’s also a common stop on Vientiane temple tours.

Under half a mile (550 meters) from the Nam Phou Fountain and less than a mile (1.4 kilometers) from the Patuxai Monument, Haw Phra Kaew is centrally located. It’s easy to get here on foot or by cycle or tuk-tuk, although travelers who are pressed for time may want to join a tour that bundles a visit here with other Vientiane sites.

Haw Phra Kaew is open seven days a week, morning to afternoon. The dry-season peak (November to January) provides the best chance to appreciate the grounds, but there really is no bad time to visit. It is busiest on weekends, when local Lao have time to appreciate their heritage.

In Bangkok, Thailand, the Wat Phra Kaew is home to the Emerald Buddha, a very sacred statue whose loss is still a source of anguish for many Laos. The forces of Siam, the nation that is today Thailand, looted it from Haw Phra Kaew in 1778. Just 26 inches (66 centimeters) tall, it is carved from a single piece of jade and dressed in gold.

The spiritual center of Vientiane, thanks to its sacred pillar, Wat Si Muang is the city’s busiest temple. Laos come from far and wide to pray for good luck and eliminate bad luck. Around November Wat Si Muang is also the starting point for the candle-lit procession that begins the nation’s biggest religious event, the That Luang Festival.

You don’t need a guide to appreciate the local color at Wat Si Muang, as pilgrims buy caged birds for release, make offerings, and deposit broken pottery near the sacred pillar. However, if you’d like to understand the statuary and rituals, it does help to have a guide. Private guided tours are a good option for visiting Wat Si Muang, which is also an occasional stop on Vientiane city tours.

As befits the city’s spiritual center, Wat Si Muang is centrally located in the heart of Vientiane, under a mile (1.4 kilometers) from Nam Phou Fountain, between Setthathilath and Samsenthai roads. Cycling is a traditional and pleasant way to tour temples in Vientiane, or, if you’d like to check off multiple sites in double-quick time, you could always join a city tour.

Wat Si Muang is open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, and stays open into the night on special days on Laos’ Buddhist calendar. It’s worth being in the area at the start of That Luang Festival (Boun That Luang). This happens roughly each November, on the full moon of the 12th month of the Buddhist calendar, and begins with a massive procession of candles from Wat Si Muang.

The sacred pillar wrapped in cloth at the temple dates back to the Khmer period and has likely been worshipped for at least 1,000 years. One story of how it came to be sacred says that a young, pregnant woman named Si Muang sacrificed herself to appease angry spirits while the temple was being built. She threw herself into a hole in the construction site and was crushed by the pillar.