Wat Phra Phutthabat Phu Khwai Ngoen

Wat Phra Phutthabat Phu Khwai Ngoen is a hilltop Buddhist temple in Chiang Khan District, Loei Province, overlooking the Mekong River and the Laos border. It is notable for enshrining a replica of the Buddha's footprint, a large white seated Buddha image facing the river, and a panoramic viewpoint. The temple serves as a religious site and scenic viewpoint for visitors to Chiang Khan town.

Visitors can expect a hilltop temple complex reached by a stairway, with a large white Buddha statue oriented toward the Mekong River, a shrine housing the Buddha footprint replica, and open terraces offering panoramic views of the Mekong River, Chiang Khan town and the Lao riverbank. The setting is elevated and forested, with chedis, prayer halls and viewing platforms. Visitors can explore the courtyard, pay respects, take photographs and watch sunrise or sunset over the river.

The temple was established as a hilltop Buddhist sanctuary to enshrine a replica of the Buddha's footprint (Phra Phutthabat), a revered symbol in Thai Buddhism. The large Buddha image and footprint shrine were developed to provide a place of worship and pilgrimage for the Chiang Khan community overlooking the Mekong River.

The temple is an important Buddhist religious site for Chiang Khan residents and visitors, used for merit-making, prayer and religious observances. Its location overlooking the Mekong River gives it cultural importance as a landmark and spiritual viewpoint for the border community.