Patouxay monument was built after World War II in commemoration of the fallen Lao soldiers of various wars. During the monarchy era, the monument used to be called "Anousavali" which means memory but since 1975 when the Pathet Lao took over power, the name of the monument has been changed to Patuxay, meaning victory gate. Patou = "gate" and xay = "victory".

There are shops inside the Patouxay and it is possible to climb up to the top to see the view of Vientiane.

A lot of tourists come to see the Patuxay every day, it looks really beautiful at night with the lights turned on and fountain of light fireworks with music looks spectacular.