Phra That Phanom is a tall spire - a style of pagoda (chedi) common to Northeastern Thailand and Laos. The tower sits inside a large temple formally called Wat Phra That Phanom Woramahawiharn. The tower is thought to have been constructed some time in the eighth to tenth centuries, but like many temples it has been renovated many times since it was first built. The last major reconstruction happened after the spire was blown over by high winds in 1975.
The tower is perhaps the most important of several thats spread around the northeast of Thailand. Phra That Phanom sits in the smallest of three concentric courtyards.