Haw Phra Kaew is an impressive former temple dating back to 1565 after the Lao capital was moved to Vientiane from Luang Prabang. Built in the grounds of the royal palace, unlike most temples this one consisted only of a prayer hall with no resident monks or monastic complex. It was built to house the famous Emerald Buddha statue which remained here for over 200 years until Vientiane was ravaged by Siamese forces in 1779. The sacred Buddha was taken to Wat Phra Kaew in the royal palace of Bangkok where it remains today.
The temple has been damaged and rebuilt several times in its history, having been damaged in 1779 it was rebuilt in 1816 only to be destroyed again in 1828 during a rebellion against Siam when the city was razed to the ground in retaliation. It remained as a ruin for many years before being restored by the French colonial adminsitration in 1936. It cceased to be used as a temple in the 1970s and is now a museum of Buddhist art.
Among the most impressive artefacts are the sequence of bronze seated Buddha statues housed in the colonnades surrounding the prayer hall, many of which a far older than the site itself. Many of the intricately carved doors and windows remain from the original temple. There are further exhibits and statues within, but photography is not allowed inside the building. The grounds are beautifully maintained making this one of the most pleasant sites to visit in Vientiane.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haw_Phra_Kaew 