Built in 1818 by King Anouvong, Wat Si Saket is the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane and the only major one to survive the Siamese destruction of the city in 1828. The cloister walls hold more than 2,000 silver and ceramic Buddha images, set into small niches and stacked in rows on long benches.
The central sim is modest by Lao standards but the layout is unusual — the cloister surrounding it, with its lotus-bud cornice and weather-darkened wooden ceiling, is what makes the place memorable. Sit on one of the wooden benches in the shade and the temple feels almost forgotten by the city outside. It sits opposite Haw Phra Kaew on the corner of Lan Xang Avenue and Setthathirath Road.