Pha That Luang: Vientiane’s Great Stupa
Pha That Luang, Vientiane's Great Stupa: its history since 1566, the 45 m gold spire, what is really gold and when the Boun Pha That Luang festival is held.
Photo: Life on the road / Unsplash
Contents
Pha That Luang, the Great Stupa, rises above central Vientiane and is the most important national monument and symbol of Laos.[1] Come for the gold spire, stay for the shape of the whole monument: a tall central tower, a stepped base and a ring of smaller shrines around it.
A site with more than one historical layer
Lao tradition says the site has been in use since 307 BC, when Vientiane's first governor built a kiln-shaped structure here. The stupa you see today goes back to 1566 and King Saysetthathirath, and it was restored in 1953.[1] It was rebuilt several times after invasions, most recently in the 1930s.[2]
Laos submitted That Luang to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 1992, which is the first step towards inscription and not yet a listing. The submission describes the stupa as a symbol of the cosmic mountain at the centre of the world.[3]
Things to Do
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Read the shape and the gold
The central spire is 45 metres tall and rises from a base of three tiers, decorated at the bottom with large lotus petals. Thirty smaller reliquaries stand around the base, and the whole monument sits inside an enclosure of about 54 metres a side.[3] Walk the full circuit and watch how the lines of the smaller shrines lead your eye up to the spire.
The golden stupa is not solid gold. Only the pinnacle is covered in real gold; the rest is painted gold. The gold centrepiece echoes the curve of an elongated lotus bud, and the stupa is believed to contain a relic of the Buddha.[1]
If you are planning around Boun Pha That Luang
Boun Pha That Luang is the most meaningful festival in Vientiane and in Laos. It lasts three to seven days around the full moon, usually in November and sometimes at the end of October. It starts with a candlelit wax-castle procession from Vat Simeuang to the stupa. At dawn the next morning crowds give alms to hundreds of monks at Pha That Luang, in the afternoon the esplanade hosts the traditional game of Ti Khee, which looks like hockey with a ball and curved sticks, and the festival closes under the full moon with a last candlelit circuit.[4]
The festival follows the lunar calendar, so the dates move each year. Check the current year's dates before you book flights and rooms, because Vientiane fills up.
Visiting
Make the stupa itself the focus of your visit: arrive early, when it is quieter and the light on the gold is soft, and walk the circuit around the base. Dress modestly, with covered shoulders and knees, as at any Buddhist monument. Check opening times and the entry fee locally on the day.
For more places to explore in the capital, see our Laos travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Tourism Laos: That Luang. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- [2] Tourism Laos: Legendary Landmarks. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- [3] UNESCO World Heritage Centre: That Luang de Vientiane, Tentative List entry. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- [4] Tourism Laos: That Luang Festival, 2022 event page. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pha That Luang, also called the Great Stupa, is a Buddhist monument in central Vientiane and the most important national monument and symbol of Laos.
No. Only the pinnacle is covered in real gold; the rest of the stupa is painted gold. The gold centrepiece echoes the curve of an elongated lotus bud.
The present stupa dates to 1566, built by King Saysetthathirath, and it was restored in 1953. Lao tradition places a first structure on the site in 307 BC, and the stupa was rebuilt several times, most recently in the 1930s.
Not yet. Laos placed That Luang on the UNESCO Tentative List in 1992, which is a first step and not an inscription on the World Heritage List.
It symbolises the cosmic mountain at the centre of the world. A 45 m spire rises from a three-tier base with lotus-petal decoration, surrounded by thirty smaller reliquaries.
Around the full moon, usually in November and sometimes at the end of October, over three to seven days. The date changes each year.
A candlelit wax-castle procession from Vat Simeuang, dawn alms-giving to hundreds of monks, the traditional game of Ti Khee, and a final candlelit circuit of the stupa under the full moon.
Check opening hours and the entry fee locally on the day of your visit, especially if you travel during the festival.
