Vientiane Attractions: Pha That Luang, Patuxai, Wat Si Saket and COPE

These four guides cover Vientiane's great stupa, its war memorial, its oldest surviving temple and the COPE Visitor Centre on unexploded ordnance in Laos. Tourism Laos lists a fee of 30,000 kip per person at Pha That Luang, Patuxai and Wat Si Saket; entry to the COPE Visitor Centre is free. Each guide gives that site's hours, fees and how to get there, with the source for each figure.

Vientiane attractions with visitor guides

Pha That Luang (the Great Stupa)

Pha That Luang, the Great Stupa, is a gold-covered Buddhist stupa in Vientiane that Tourism Laos calls the most significant national monument in Laos and the symbol of the country. The 45-meter golden stupa is believed to contain a relic of the Buddha, and its gold centerpiece echoes the curve of an elongated lotus bud. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm (closed Mondays), and admission is 30,000 kip per person.

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Patuxai (Victory Gate)

Patuxai, the Victory Gate, is a war memorial at the end of Lane Xang Avenue in downtown Vientiane, built between 1957 and 1968 and often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, though it's decorated with Lao motifs such as the kinnaly, a mythical bird-woman. You can climb the stairs inside to viewing galleries and a top-level platform with a panoramic view over the city. Tourism Laos lists it as open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with an admission fee of 30,000 kip per person.

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Wat Si Saket

Wat Si Saket (Wat Sisaket) is a Buddhist temple in the old center of Vientiane, built in 1818 on the order of King Anouvong and described by Tourism Laos as the only ancient temple left intact after the Siamese destruction of the city. Its cloister walls are lined with niches and shelves holding thousands of small Buddha images, and the temple also houses a museum. Tourism Laos lists it as open Monday to Sunday from 8:00 am to noon and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with admission of 30,000 kip per person.

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COPE Visitor Centre

The COPE Visitor Centre is the free exhibition run by the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) in the grounds of the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation on Khouvieng Road in Vientiane. Its exhibits cover the history of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos, how it affects life in the country, and how COPE, CMR and others help people with mobility-related disabilities, told partly through the stories of people the work has helped. COPE says the centre is open daily from 8:30 AM; its site gives a 4:00 PM close in two places and 5:00 PM in one, so arrive well before 4:00 PM, and note that its official-holidays notice does not list closure dates.

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Planning your visit to Vientiane

Opening hours differ: Pha That Luang is closed on Mondays and from 12:00 to 1:00 PM, Wat Si Saket also closes from 12:00 to 1:00 PM, Patuxai is listed as open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and COPE opens daily from 8:30 AM, with its site giving both a 4:00 PM and a 5:00 PM close. The That Luang Festival runs from November 21 to 24, 2026, according to Tourism Laos.