COPE Visitor Centre in Vientiane: What to Know Before You Go
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The COPE Visitor Centre in Vientiane tells the story of unexploded ordnance in Laos and of the people who live with its consequences. This visitor guide covers hours, location, exhibits and the best ways to visit respectfully. Entry is free, and donations are welcome.
Last updated November 2026. COPE says the centre is open daily from 8:30 AM, although its own site lists more than one closing time. We set out both below so that you can plan around them.
Tickets and Opening Hours
COPE says the Visitor Centre is open daily from 8:30 AM. Its Visit Us page gives a 4:00 PM closing time in two places and 5:00 PM in another. The page carries no date, so neither time can be called the newer one.
Because of that gap, we suggest arriving well before 4:00 PM. An earlier arrival leaves room for the exhibits and for any Cave Cinema screening. COPE's official-holidays notice lists no closure dates.
Entry to the Visitor Centre is free, and COPE gladly accepts donations at the centre or online. The centre stands in the grounds of the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation, known as CMR, on Khouvieng Road. It sits across the street from the Green Park Hotel.
- Opening Hours
- COPE says the centre is open daily from 8:30 AM.
- The same page gives 4:00 PM as the close in two places and 5:00 PM in one.
- Entry
- Entry to the Visitor Centre is free.
- Donations are gladly accepted at the centre or online.
- Address
- The centre is in the CMR grounds on Khouvieng Road in Vientiane.
- It is across the street from the Green Park Hotel.
- Phone
- COPE lists +856-21-241972 on its Visit Us page for visitors who lose their way.
Getting There
Visitors enter through the grounds of CMR, the rehabilitation centre founded by the Lao Ministry of Health in 1963. From the CMR entrance, follow the road in and turn right at the indoor stadium. Then head straight to the white building at the end of the road, which is marked COPE Visitor Centre.
Anyone arriving by tuk-tuk or taxi can lean on COPE's own help. If you have trouble explaining the destination, the Visit Us page links an audio file to play for your driver. Should you still get lost, call COPE on +856-21-241972.
The indoor stadium is the landmark that matters most, since it marks the turn toward the centre. Our guide to Vientiane attractions helps you place this address among the other sights on your list.
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What the Exhibits and Cave Cinema Cover
The exhibits cover the history of unexploded ordnance, or UXO, in Laos and how it affects daily life. They also show how COPE, CMR and others help people with mobility-related disabilities. Much of the story is told through the people the work has helped.
The Cave Cinema is built to resemble a Pathet Lao wartime bunker. Inside, short documentaries about UXO and COPE are screened. Ask staff for screening times when you arrive.
The photographs on this page, taken in 2009 and 2011, show imitation cluster bombs and old prosthetic legs hanging from the ceiling. Displays may have changed since, so treat them as a sample rather than a checklist.
Approach the displays as testimony rather than spectacle. Keeping voices low near the Cave Cinema and giving each personal story time to land are simple ways to show respect.
Why Laos Has So Much Unexploded Ordnance
Between 1964 and 1973, during the Secret War, the United States dropped more than 2 million tons of bombs on Laos, according to Wikipedia's article on Laos. The same article describes Laos as the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.
It also states that some 80 million of those bombs failed to explode. The centre's exhibits show how that unexploded ordnance still affects life in Laos.
COPE was formed in 1997 by the Lao Ministry of Health and a group of non-governmental organizations. Those partners were POWER, World Vision and the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics. The rising number of casualties from unexploded bombs was part of the reason.
COPE works with CMR to give people with physical disabilities local, affordable access to prosthetic, orthotic and rehabilitation services. COPE says about one third of those receiving a prosthesis with its support are UXO survivors.
COPE opened the Visitor Centre in 2008 to raise awareness of disability in Laos. U.S. President Barack Obama spoke there on September 7, 2016.
Shop, Cafe and Ways to Support COPE
The Karma Cafe stands right outside the Visitor Centre. It serves fair-trade coffee and ice cream, and all proceeds support COPE.
The gift shop sells postcards, T-shirts, keychains, books and fair-trade coffee. COPE says shop and cafe sales are one channel of funds for its work with people who have mobility-related disabilities.
Donations are also gladly accepted, either at the Visitor Centre or online.
Pairing COPE with Other Vientiane Sights
Because COPE's own site gives two different closing times, a morning visit leaves the most room. Other stops can then fill the rest of the day.
For a contrast in tone, our guide to Wat Si Saket covers one of the city's temples.
Our guide to Pha That Luang explains what to expect there.
Our Patuxai guide covers the monument in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the COPE Visitor Centre free to visit?
Yes. COPE states that entry to the Visitor Centre is free. Donations are gladly accepted and can be made at the centre or online.
What are the COPE Visitor Centre opening hours?
COPE says the centre is open daily from 8:30 AM. Its Visit Us page gives a 4:00 PM closing time in two places and 5:00 PM in one, so plan to arrive well before 4:00 PM. The page has an official-holidays notice but lists no closure dates, so check with COPE around Lao public holidays.
Where is the COPE Visitor Centre in Vientiane?
It is in the grounds of the Centre for Medical Rehabilitation (CMR) on Khouvieng Road, across the street from the Green Park Hotel. From the CMR entrance, follow the road in, turn right at the indoor stadium and head to the white building marked "COPE Visitor Centre".
What will I see at the COPE Visitor Centre?
Exhibits on the history of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos and how it affects daily life, on how COPE, CMR and others help people with mobility-related disabilities, and stories of people the work has helped. The Cave Cinema shows short documentaries about UXO and COPE; ask staff for screening times.
What is COPE?
The Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise is a Lao non-profit formed in 1997 by the Lao Ministry of Health and a group of NGOs. It supports the government's Centre for Medical Rehabilitation so that people with physical disabilities, including UXO survivors, can get prosthetic, orthotic and rehabilitation services.
Does visiting the COPE Visitor Centre help COPE's work?
Yes. COPE says sales at its gift shop and the Karma Cafe, plus donations online or at the centre, are a channel of funds for its work helping people with mobility-related disabilities.
Is there a cafe or shop at the COPE Visitor Centre?
Yes. The Karma Cafe, right outside the Visitor Centre, serves fair-trade coffee and ice cream, with all proceeds supporting COPE. The gift shop sells postcards, T-shirts, keychains, books and fair-trade coffee.
Did President Obama visit the COPE Visitor Centre?
Yes. COPE quotes remarks U.S. President Barack Obama made at the COPE Visitor Centre on September 7, 2016.
The COPE Visitor Centre is a free, factual look at a history that still shapes life in Laos. Arrive well before 4:00 PM, ask staff about Cave Cinema screening times, and allow the stories room.
For more ideas on filling your days, browse our guide to Vientiane attractions. COPE says donations and sales at its gift shop and the Karma Cafe help fund its work.
Planning more of Vientiane? See our guides to things to do in Vientiane, the best time to visit Vientiane and where to stay in Vientiane.