Historic Overview Of Laos

Hmong and Mien hill tribes and migrating Thais were the first people to settle in the area now known as Laos. The first 'Lao’ principalities arose in the 13th century; a century or so later, a warlord by the name of Fa Ngum united some of these to form the Kingdom of Lan Xang. Lan Xang saw peace and prosperity for some time, but schisms developed and it split into three warring kingdoms by the 1600s. Just a century later, by the 1700s, much of Laos was controlled by Thailand (then Siam) but the Vietnamese too had an eye on the territory. The Laotians fought against Siamese control, and the result of these skirmishes was that both Laos and Vietnam came under Siamese rule.

The French arrived by the end of the 19th century, took control of Laos, and occupied it- an occupation, which was to last till 1953. Even after independence, internal tensions between royalist, communist and neutral forces kept the country in a constant state of turmoil. The communists eventually pulled off a victory and took control in 1975. Initially, the regime adopted a rather hard leftist stance, but in the past few years there has been a distinct relaxation of the rules.