Uniform CeO2 nanotubes with smooth thin walls and high porosity were controllably synthesized using a simple well-controlled solvothermal technique. The growth of CeO2 nanotubes was explored and it was found that it followed the oriented attachment-Ostwald ripening mechanism. Furthermore, through an auto-redox process, gold nanoparticles of ∼5 nm size could be homogeneously generated on these CeO2 nanotubes. These novel nanocomposites exhibited outstanding performance in terms of both activity and stability for catalytic CO oxidation.