Laos is a part of the Southeast Asian region. 400 AD - Theravada Buddhism was introduced to Laos. [47][46], In 1968, the PAVN launched a multi-division attack to help the Pathet Lao fight the RLA. Mountain/hill tribes of mixed ethno/cultural-linguistic heritage are found in northern Laos, which include the Lua and Khmu people who are indigenous to Laos. A number of Laotian sign languages are used in areas with high rates of congenital deafness.[46]. Settathirath disappeared in the mountains on his way back from a military expedition into Cambodia, and Lan Xang fell into more than seventy years of instability, involving both Burmese invasion and civil war. During World War II, the city was briefly captured by Japan, but quickly recaptured by the French. [46], During the First Indochina War, the Indochinese Communist Party formed the Pathet Lao independence organisation. In 1893, the three territories came under a French protectorate and were united to form what is now known as Laos. The capital is Vientiane (Lao: Viangchan), located on the Mekong River in the northern portion of the country. According to the USCommittee for Refugees, he was arrested by Lao security forces and was never seen again. Laos's strategies for development are based on generating electricity from rivers and selling the power to its neighbours, namely Thailand, China and Vietnam, as well as its initiative to become a "land-linked" nation, as evidenced by the construction of four new railways connecting Laos and neighbours. The Lao alphabet, which evolved sometime between the 13th and 14th centuries, was derived from the ancient Khmer script and is very similar to Thai script. "Last month, they the authorities told us they're going to . From the river bank inland, the three main roads run parallel to the river, while the . They were the indigenous inhabitants of northern Laos. [100], Ostensibly, the Constitution of Laos that was promulgated in 1991 and amended in 2003 contains most key safeguards for human rights. [60] The country is one of four in the opium poppy growing region known as the "Golden Triangle". Energy Efficiency Retrofitting of Buildings Challenges and Methods", Diller, Anthony; Edmondson, Jerry; Luo, Yongxian (2004). However, the latter is considered pejorative, meaning 'slave'. Laos is a member of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, the ASEAN, East Asia Summit, and La Francophonie. He describes his experience in the Lao capital in fine detail, making the minutiae come alive. The area was originally settled because of the fertility of the surrounding alluvial plains, and Vientiane became the capital city of Laos around the mid-16th century. Address: 133 Chanthakhoummarn Road, Chanthabouly district. [183] Since the start of the league, Lao Army F.C. [114][115][116], The Lao economy depends on investment and trade with its neighbours, Thailand, Vietnam, and, especially in the north, China. Laos's first French-written and monarchical constitution was promulgated on 11 May 1947, and declared Laos an independent state within the French Union. The Lao Securities Exchange (LSX) began operations in 2011 with two stocks listed, both state-owned - the Banque Pour l'CommerceExterieur (BCEL), and the power generation arm of . [144], The people of Laos are often categorised by their distribution by elevation: (lowlands, midlands and upper high lands) as this somewhat correlates with ethnic groupings. Pr-histria. Only 4% of the country is arable land and a mere 0.3% used as permanent crop land,[120] the lowest percentage in the Greater Mekong Subregion. At the eve of the Vietnam War, the Secret War was beginning in Laos as political factions between communist Pathet Lao and the government occurred. [112] Laos is an origin country for sexually trafficked persons. After the Pathet Lao took over the country in 1975, the conflict continued in isolated pockets. AFP. Five of them were arrested and subsequently sentenced to up to 10 years imprisonment on charges of treason. [44] On 9 March 1945, a nationalist group declared Laos once more independent, with Luang Prabang as its capital, but on 7 April 1945 two battalions of Japanese troops occupied the city. With an estimated population of 760,000 in 2015, the city is also the most populous in the nation. [139]:3940, In 2004 the net primary enrollment rate was 84%. Of the almost $6 billion cost for the China-Laos railway, the Chinese government will pay 70 percent. French is used in government and commerce, and Laos is a member of the French-speaking organisation of La Francophonie. [122] Rice dominates agriculture, with about 80% of the arable land area used for growing rice. ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) Policy Brief Series, No 7. [125], Laos is rich in mineral resources and imports petroleum and gas. [35] Anouvong was taken to Bangkok as a prisoner, where he died. The capital of Laos is Vientiane, which was founded 13th century. [61] According to the October 2007 UNODC fact book Opium Poppy Cultivation in South East Asia, the poppy cultivation area was 15 square kilometres (5.8sqmi), down from 18 square kilometres (6.9sqmi) in 2006. This slim paperback by Sam Brier and Phouphanomlack (Tee) Sangkhampone boasts an intuitive, sound-based way to learn the written Lao alphabet and sounds of the Lao language. After talks with the UNHCR and the Thai government, Laos agreed to repatriate the 60,000 Lao refugees living in Thailand, including several thousand Hmong people. [166], Australian filmmaker Kim Mordount's first feature film was made in Laos and features a Laotian cast speaking their native language. [139]:19, The martial art of muay Lao, the national sport,[180] is a form of kickboxing similar to Thailand's muay Thai, Burmese Lethwei and Cambodian Pradal Serey. [97] The organisation also raised concerns in relation to freedom of expression, poor prison conditions, restrictions on freedom of religions, protection of refugees and asylum-seekers, and the death penalty. This includes decreasing the environmental and cultural impact of tourism; increasing awareness in the importance of ethnic groups and biological diversity; providing a source of income to conserve, sustain and manage the Lao protected area network and cultural heritage sites; and emphasizing the need for tourism zoning and management plans for sites that will be developed as ecotourism destinations.[137]. [15][16] Laos has been referred to as one of Southeast Asia and Pacific's fastest growing economies by the World Bank with annual GDP growth averaging 7.4% since 2009. But around the 11th and 12th centuries, the Lao and Thai came from Southern China and overtook the area. Lao Theung constitute about 30% of the population. Patuxay, Vientiane Laos, Sunrise in the morning at at Patuxai. Political power is centralized in the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. Very few of the Lao refugees, however, were willing to return voluntarily. If you drive into town, you might not even realize when you're actually in the city proper, as Vientiane blends seamlessly with the countryside. The national basketball team competed at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games where it beat Myanmar in the eighth place game.[185]. [43], During World War II in Laos, Vichy France, Thailand, Imperial Japan and Free France occupied Laos. [43] As late as 1945, the French drew up an ambitious plan to move massive Vietnamese population to three key areas, i.e., the Vientiane Plain, Savannakhet region, and the Bolaven Plateau, which was only derailed by the Japanese invasion of Indochina. [63], Laos is divided into 17 provinces (khoueng) and one prefecture (kampheng nakhon), which includes the capital city Vientiane (Nakhon Louang Viangchan). Choose our custom designed, flexible and unique Laos Tour Packages. It was built in 1556, when the capital was moved from Luang Prabang to Vientiene, and took 6 years to complete. [84] Following threats of forcible removal by the Thai government, the United States, in a significant victory for the Hmong, agreed to accept 15,000 of the refugees in 2003. Pha That Luang, the countrys most revered national monuments, is located in Vientiane. [53] In 1979, there were 50,000 PAVN troops stationed in Laos and as many as 6,000 civilian Vietnamese officials including 1,000 directly attached to the ministries in Vientiane. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Vientiane is a city steeped in legend and history. Laos produced tin, rubber, and coffee, but never accounted for more than one percent of French Indochina's exports. Subsistence agriculture still accounts for half of the GDP and provides 80% of employment. Vientiane, Laos might seem sleepy and languid by Southeast Asia standards, but the Lao PDR capital might surprise you with its diversity of cuisine, quirky sights, friendly locals, and infectious sabai-sabai attitude. Vientiane suffered greatly during the conflict between the kingdom's army and Siamese forces in 1827. One of the most problematic economic sectors in Laos is transport. Residents of the capital Vientiane are barred from leaving the city and outsiders must get permission to enter. The most popular place to visit in Laos, Luang Prabang is an historic city that once served as the capital of the Kingdom of Laos. Services and facilities for tourists are adequate in the capital, Vientiane, and in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, but are extremely limited in . Vientiane, also spelled Viangchan, largest city and capital of Laos, situated on a plain just northeast of the Mekong River. However, only slightly more than half of the population speaks Lao natively. You'll find yourself slowly won over by the easy charms of this evolving . [47] Between 1964 and 1973, the US dropped two million tons of bombs on Laos, nearly equal to the 2.1million tons of bombs the US dropped on Europe and Asia during all of World War II, making Laos the most heavily bombed country in history relative to the size of its population; The New York Times notes this was "nearly a ton for every person in Laos". Trc , FPT Capital ng k bn 1 triu c phiu TPB tng ng 0,063% vn iu l ngn hng. As a result, newly elected US president John F. Kennedy authorized the recruitment of ethnic minorities in Laos to participate in covert military operations against the spread of communism. [72], On 17 May 2014, Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Douangchay Phichit was killed in a plane crash, along with other top ranking officials. [155], The adult literacy rate for women in 2017 was 62.9%; for adult men, 78.1%. 3. [121] The irrigated areas under cultivation account for only 28% of the total area under cultivation which, in turn, represents only 12% of all of the agricultural land in 2012. [85] Several thousand Hmong people, fearing forced repatriation to Laos if they were not accepted for resettlement in the United States, fled the camp to live elsewhere within Thailand where a sizeable Hmong population has been present since the 19th century. All newspapers are published by the government, including two foreign language papers: the English-language daily Vientiane Times and the French-language weekly Le Rnovateur. Its international borders were closed except to trucks carrying goods and in cases allowed by the nation's COVID . The Pathet Lao began a war against the French colonial forces with the aid of the Vietnamese independence organisation, the Viet Minh. Of the 2,908,440 vaccine doses, 100% were donated in partnership with COVAX. Xinhua That Luang Festival celebrated in Vientiane, Laos Candlelight parade surrounding the That Luang Stupa in Lao capital Vientiane on the night of Nov. 11, 2019. . It is stretched out on the north-eastern bank of a bend in the Mekong River. Laos became independent in 1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. [19][20][21][22][23] In the Lao language, the country's name is Muang Lao () or Pathet Lao (), both of which literally mean 'Lao Country'. Nearly three-quarters of Laos is covered in mountains and forested hills that are too steep to live on. The land has a total area of 236,800 km (91,429 mi). The sinh is a traditional garment worn by Lao women in daily life. After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the communist Pathet Lao came to power, ending the civil war. Authorities in Laos have reported a significant Covid-19 outbreak near the notorious Kings Romans casino, whose Chinese owner is accused by the United States of trafficking people, wildlife and drugs. A new province, Xaisomboun province , was established on 13 December 2013. Pakse is the capital and most populous city of Champasak Province in Southern Laos. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. The Lao League is the top professional league for association football clubs in the country. Since July, 2021 the United States has shared 2,908,440 safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses with the people of Laos - free of cost. [69] Trade relations with the United States were normalised in November 2004 through Congress approved legislation. [184], Laos has no tradition in other team sports. The capital of Laos is Vientiane. SE Asia. In 2009, despite the fact that the government is still officially communist, the Obama administration in the US declared Laos was no longer a MarxistLeninist state and lifted bans on Laotian companies receiving financing from the US Export-Import Bank.[117][118]. Between 1763 and 1769, Burmese armies overran northern Laos and annexed Luang Prabang, while Champasak eventually came under Siamese suzerainty. Between 1995 and 2008 approximately 1,232,900 more people had access to improved sanitation in rural areas. What Is the Capital of Laos? Ninety-three percent of households have a telephone, either fixed line or mobile. The city has a tropical monsoon climate, every month . Photo: Tango7174, CC BY-SA 4.0. [94] Plans to resettle additional Hmong refugees in the United States were stalled by provisions of President George W. Bush's Patriot Act and Real ID Act, under which Hmong veterans of the Secret War, who fought on the side of the United States, are classified as terrorists because of their historical involvement in armed conflict. Area 236,800 sq km (91,400 sq miles) Major languages Lao, French. The constitution also contains provisions for gender equality, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of press and assembly. Calculating U.S. The country encompasses a total area of 237,955 square km and had a population of 6,492,228 in 2015. However, as of 2018, there are approximately 1.9million of Lao's population who could not access an improved water supply and 2.4million people without access to improved sanitation. Pakxe has also experienced growth based on cross-border trade with Thailand and Vietnam. The country encompasses a total area of 237,955 square km and had a . The nation's most important government buildings, ministries, departments and foreign embassies are located in Vientiane. The mountainous geography of Laos had impeded Laos's ground transportation development throughout the 20th century. 4 min. Laos is landlocked (it does not have a coast on a sea or ocean). Thailand (invested US$4.489billion) and Vietnam (invested US$3.108billion) are the second and third largest investors respectively. "Laos refuses to take back Thai-based Hmong refugees", Smith, Philip, Washington, D.C. (12 December 2014), Kyophilavong, Phouphet, et al. [119] The economy receives development aid from the International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, and other international sources; and also foreign direct investment for development of the society, industry, hydropower and mining (most notably of copper and gold). An "urban" village is essentially a town.[58]. [87], Lending further support to earlier claims that the government of Laos was persecuting the Hmong, filmmaker Rebecca Sommer documented first-hand accounts in her documentary, Hunted Like Animals,[88] and in a comprehensive report that includes summaries of refugee claims and was submitted to the UN in May 2006. In 2010, one in every 11 jobs was in the tourism sector. [71] In 2005 it attended the inaugural East Asia Summit. Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is produced by the Lao Brewery Company. The Lao subsequently established their own kingdom named the Lan Xang in 1354. Mapcarta, the open map. This sector has made significant contributions to the economic condition of Laos. Moreover, 130,000 deaths can be attributed to the civil war. In fact, it feels more like a welcoming village, nestled in a bend of the Mekong River, Vientiane is dotted with temples and quirky, accessible attractions like the Buddha Park featuring surreal statues of the Buddha and the Monk Chat, a monthly opportunity to hang out with, you guessed it, monks. The close ties between Laos and Vietnam were formalised via a treaty signed in 1977, which has since provided direction for Lao foreign policy, and provides the basis for Vietnamese involvement at all levels of Lao political and economic life. It is estimated that about 37% of educated Laotians live outside Laos. Vientiane, the capital city of Laos in the 1990s. [30] He made Theravada Buddhism the state religion, and Lan Xang prospered. President Biden committed the United States to be the world's arsenal . It is bordered by Myanmar (used to be known in English as "Burma") and by China to the northwest, by Vietnam to the east, by Cambodia to the south and by . In a 23 October 1995 National Review article, Michael Johns, the former Heritage Foundation foreign policy expert and Republican White House aide, labelled the Hmong's repatriation a Clinton administration "betrayal", describing the Hmong as a people "who have spilled their blood in defense of American geopolitical interests". More than 540 mineral deposits of gold, copper, zinc, lead and other minerals have been identified, explored and mined. Vientiane, pronounced as "Viang-chan" in Lao, has been the Laotian capital city for 453 years. [76] As many as 200,000 Hmong went into exile in Thailand, with many ending up in the US. ", "Laos Deputy PM Douangchay Phichit dies in plane crash", "Laos plane crash kills defence minister and senior officials", "Lao Defense Chief Among Plane Crash Victims", "Hmong Leader's Vanishing In Laos Reverberates in U.S.", Reports on results of investigations of allegations concerning the welfare of Hmong refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand and Laos, "Refugee Admissions Program for East Asia", "History of the Hmong Resettlement Task Force", Report on the situation in the Xaysomboun Special Zone and 1100 Hmong-Lao refugees who escaped to Petchabun, Thailand during 20042005, Thailand: EU Presidency Declaration on the situation of Hmong refugees, "Hmong refugees facing removal from Thailand", Deportation of Hmong Lao refugees stopped in last minute, Hmong: UNHCR Protests Refugee Deportation, "Somsanga's Secrets | Arbitrary Detention, Physical Abuse, and Suicide inside a Lao Drug Detention Center", "In charts: How the Philippines fares in Southeast Asia", "Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review: Eighth session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council", "Human Rights Watch Concerns on Laos Submitted in advance of the EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue October 2015", "Human Rights Abuses in Laos Must be Tackled Now", "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016", "Free former student leaders arbitrarily detained for 17 years", "Amnesty International Report 2016/17: Laos", "Laos, Vietnam troops kill Hmong Christians", "Laos, Vietnam troops kill four Hmong Christians: NGO", "Two teenagers rescued from forced prostitution in Laos", "Chinese marriage proposals become prostitution nightmares for some Lao girls", "Communism and Capitalism Are Mixing in Laos", https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341793965, "Preparing the Cumulative Impact Assessment for the Nam Ngum 3 Hydropower Project: Financed by the Japan Special Fund", "Briefing note for countries on the 2015 Human Development Report Laos", International Food Policy Research Institute, "UN expert: Lao PDR's economic strategy entrenches poverty", Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, European Council On Tourism And Trade Delegation Visit To Laos-World Best Tourist Destination European Council On Tourism And Trade, "The Lao People's Democratic Republic's Vision for Ecotourism", "China's BRI and its High-Speed Railways to Nowhere", "Focales n 8. Wat Sisaket, Luang, and Phra Keo are the three most . 15. Local tradition holds that there are three seasons (rainy, cool and hot) as the latter two months of the climatologically defined dry season are noticeably hotter than the earlier four months. [145] The Lao belong to the Tai linguistic group[146] who began migrating south from China in the first millennium CE. [182] Its national football team is a member of the Asian Football Confederation and of the ASEAN Football Federation. [135] The European Council on Trade and Tourism awarded the country the "World Best Tourist Destination" designation for 2013 for architecture and history.[136]. [46], Male life expectancy at birth was at 62.6 years and female life expectancy was at 66.7 years in 2017. Its first railway line, a short 3-km long metre-gauge railway that connects southern Vientiane to Thailand, only opened in 2009. Great day in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Theravada Buddhism is a dominant influence in Lao culture. "Effects of AFTA on poverty: Evidence from Laos. The main investor is Thailand. It is a hand-woven silk skirt that can identify the woman who wears it in a variety of ways. [39] Laos never held any importance for France[40] other than as a buffer state between Thailand and the more economically important Annam and Tonkin. [citation needed], The Lao government controls all media channels to prevent critique of its actions. [42] By 1943, the Vietnamese population stood at nearly 40,000, forming the majority in the largest cities of Laos and enjoying the right to elect its own leaders. Laos is a landlocked country located in the Indochinese Peninsula. Getty Images offers exclusive rights-ready and premium royalty-free analog, HD, and 4K video of the highest quality. The area was originally settled because of the fertility of the surrounding alluvial plains, and Vientiane became the capital city of Laos around the mid 16th century. The small nation is bordered by China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. [34], Chao Anouvong was installed as a vassal king of Vientiane by the Siamese. It was not until the arrival of the French in 1893 that the city was revived. Vientiane is located at 17.9757, 102.6331, at an elevation of 570 ft. Em 2009, um antigo crnio foi encontrado em uma caverna nas montanhas Annamite, no norte do Laos. [127] Of the potential capacity of approximately 18,000 megawatts, around 8,000 megawatts have been committed for export to Thailand and Vietnam. English, the language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has become increasingly studied in recent years. Take more wonderful experiences in this Mystery . Even the capital Vientiane feels like a relaxed riverfront town. [130] According to the Global Hunger Index (2018), Laos ranks as the 36th hungriest nation in the world out of the list of the 52 nations with the worst hunger situation(s). Residents of Laos' capital Vientiane on October 16 witnessed the arrival of the first passenger high-speed train running on the new Laos-China railway line which will, after some test runs, come into full operation in December . Gunderson, Steve (18 May 1996) "State Department Outlines Resettlement Guidelines for Hmong Refugees". History of Laos. A second Provisional Government of National Unity formed by Prince Souvanna Phouma in 1962 was unsuccessful, and the situation steadily deteriorated into large scale civil war between the Royal Laotian government and the Pathet Lao. [79], In 1993, Vue Mai, a former Hmong soldier and leader of the largest Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, who had been recruited by the USEmbassy in Bangkok to return to Laos as proof of the repatriation programme's success, disappeared in Vientiane. [47][46], Laos was a key part of the Vietnam War since parts of Laos were invaded and occupied by North Vietnam since 1958 for use as a supply route for its war against South Vietnam. According to linguistic and other historical evidence, Tai-speaking tribes migrated southwestward to the modern territories of Laos and Thailand from Guangxi sometime between the 8th and 10th centuries. A major breakthrough occurred in December 2021, when the 414-km long standard-gauge BotenVientiane railway that runs from the capital Vientiane to Boten at the northern border with China, built as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, was opened.

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