Sights in That Phanom
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Kuson Ratchadagon Street
Standing high on the road in front of Phra That Phanom is an arch that symbolically connects the tâht to the Mekong River. The block of French- Indochinese architecture between the arch and the river is reminiscent of old Saigon and a couple of the interiors are nearly museum-quality timeless. A few shops sell Vietnamese foods.
reviewed
-
Thai-Lao Open-Border Market
Hundreds of Lao cross the river to shop and sell at this biweekly market. It's mostly the same tat found in other Thai markets, but a few of the Lao traders in front of the temple sell roots, honey, bats and other forest products.
reviewed
-
Museum
The museum near the Wat Phra That Phanom tells the history of the tâht and also displays a hodgepodge collection of pottery, gongs, US presidential commemorative coins and more.
reviewed
-
A
Wat Phra That Phanom
This temple is a potent and beautiful place; even if you're feeling templed-out, you'll likely be impressed. At its hub is a tâht, more impressive than any in present-day Laos and highly revered by Buddhists from both countries. Many people believe that visiting seven times will bring them prosperity and happiness so it's something of a pilgrimage site.
The tâht is 53.6m high, and a five-tiered, 16kg gold umbrella laden with precious gems adds 4m more to the top. Many Thais believe that the Lord Buddha travelled to Thailand and directed that one of his breast-bone relics be enshrined in a chedi to be built on this very site: and so it was in 535 BC, eight years after his…
reviewed