[1] Haw Phra Kaew was built in 1565–1566 on the orders of King Setthathirath after he moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane.

[2] The temple was built on the grounds of the royal palace to house the Emerald Buddha figurine, which Setthathirath had brought from Chiang Mai, then the capital of Lanna, to Luang Prabang.

[3] However, the temple was again destroyed in 1828 when King Anouvong rebelled against Siam in an attempt to regain full independence, and Vientiane was razed to the ground by Siamese forces in retaliation.

The Buddha images displayed include a wooden copy of Phra Bang, the palladium of Laos.

[5] There is also a gilded throne for the Emerald Buddha, Khmer stone steles, wood carvings, bronze frog drum, and Buddhist manuscripts inscribed on palm leaves.