Vat Sisaket was built in 1818 led by the Majesty King Anouvong, the last King of the Lane Xang Empire. The temple offers Buddhists and visitors a glimpse of lost history. It was the only temple in old Vientiane not destroyed by the Siamese army when it sacked the city in 1828. The temple, built in the reign of King Anouvong served as living quarters for the Siamese army while it was stationed in Vientiane.

Vat Sisaket is the oldest surviving temple in Vientiane and one of the most popular in temples in the whole of Laos. Many tourists and locals visit the site every day to worship and ask for good luck. Sisaket is actually two words in pali sanskrit: "Sisa" means head and "Ket" means hair. Sisaket is thus the sacred top of the head. In Lao culture, the head is considered the most sacred part of the body. To touch a person's head is a sign of disrespect.

The temple has a surrounding building that acts as a wall, housing thousands of Buddha statues. Over ten thousand Buddha statues are kept at Vat Sisaket and more than 6,800 small Buddha statues sit in pairs in the walls surrounding the Sim, the building housing the main Buddha statue. Another 2,052 Buddha statues are also housed in the Sim.