The temple was built at the top of Poy Tadi, the Dangrek Mountain range which is the natural border between Cambodia and Thailand. Affording a view for many kilometers across a plain, Prasat Preah Vihear has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-century-long Khmer empire. It was supported and modified by successive kings and bears of several architectural styles. Preah Vihear is unusual among Khmer temples in being constructed along north-south axis, rather than having the conventional rectangular plan with orientation toward the east. 

This structure is very different from the temples found at Angkor.