Take more wonderful experiences in this Mystery . [41] Under French rule, the Vietnamese were encouraged to migrate to Laos, which was seen by the French colonists as a rational solution to a labour shortage within the confines of an Indochina-wide colonial space. For example, Article 8 makes it clear that Laos is a multinational state and is committed to equality between ethnic groups. The capital of Laos is Vientiane, which was founded 13th century. Other Hmong fighters hid out in mountains in Xiangkhouang Province for many years, with a remnant emerging from the jungle in 2003. Fa Ngum, with 10,000 Khmer troops, conquered many Lao principalities in the Mekong river basin, culminating in the capture of Vientiane. Recognised asylum seekers were given resettlement opportunities, while the remaining refugees were to be repatriated under guarantee of safety. [68] Laos also maintained a "special relationship" with Vietnam and formalised a 1977 treaty of friendship and cooperation that created tensions with China. 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. According to a Laotian epic, Vientiane was founded on the Mekong Rivers eastern banks by a prince named Thattaradtha. A post-independence civil war began, which saw the communist resistance, supported by the Soviet Union, fight against the monarchy that later came under influence of military regimes supported by the United States. [139]:3940, In 2004 the net primary enrollment rate was 84%. Entitled The Rocket, the film appeared at the 2013 Melbourne International Film Festival and won three awards at the Berlin International Film Festival. . [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. From 1975 to 1996, the United States resettled some 250,000 Lao refugees from Thailand, including 130,000 Hmong. [127] Of the potential capacity of approximately 18,000 megawatts, around 8,000 megawatts have been committed for export to Thailand and Vietnam. [100], Ostensibly, the Constitution of Laos that was promulgated in 1991 and amended in 2003 contains most key safeguards for human rights. Vientiane has been the capital since 16th century. Very few of the Lao refugees, however, were willing to return voluntarily. [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. In 2010, one in every 11 jobs was in the tourism sector. They were to have been released by October 2009, but their whereabouts remain unknown. [19] In English, the 's' is pronounced, and not silent. Today, it remains the unofficial tourist capital. Life expectancy 65 years (men), 68 years (women) Currency kip . The Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand, where the mountains of the Annamite Range form most of the eastern border with Vietnam and the Luang Prabang Range the northwestern border with the Thai highlands. Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is the antithesis of a bustling capital like London. [128] As of 2021, despite cheap hydro power available in the country, Laos continues to also rely on fossil fuels, coal in particular, in the domestic electricity production. ::", "Global Religious Landscape; Table: Religious Composition by Country", "Human Development Report 2009. [43], During World War II in Laos, Vichy France, Thailand, Imperial Japan and Free France occupied Laos. The Lao League is the top professional league for association football clubs in the country. [139]:8 Electricity is available to 93% of the population. Get an insider's access to these Asia's exotic countries: Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.Discover: Bangkok (the capital and most populous city of Thailand, is known for its street life, cultural landmarks, spicy food and Buddhist temples); up next go travel to Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam, is known for its centuries-old architecture and a rich . 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of the Mekong, close to the Thai border.Vientiane was the administrative capital . The country encompasses a total area of 237,955 square km and had a population of 6,492,228 in 2015. The first bullet train to serve the high-speed Laos-China railway sits in a rail station in the Lao capital Vientiane, Oct. 16, 2021. Trc , FPT Capital ng k bn 1 triu c phiu TPB tng ng 0,063% vn iu l ngn hng. [108] In late February 2017, two of those imprisoned were finally released after 17 years. Vientiane prefecture, the capital and largest city, had about 683,000 residents in 2020. [63], Laos is divided into 17 provinces (khoueng) and one prefecture (kampheng nakhon), which includes the capital city Vientiane (Nakhon Louang Viangchan). The major roads connecting to urban centres, in particular Route 13, have been significantly upgraded in recent years. [126] In addition, the country's plentiful water resources and mountainous terrain enable it to produce and export large quantities of hydroelectric energy. Additionally, the Khao San Pathet Lao, the country's official news agency, publishes English and French versions of its eponymous paper. [57], Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, and it lies mostly between latitudes 14 and 23N (a small area is south of 14), and longitudes 100 and 108E. Bounchao Pichit, "Laos Cinema," in David Hanan, ed., General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, "Results of Population and Housing Census 2015", "Lao People's Democratic Republic's Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2003", https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2012/12/globalReligion-tables.pdf, "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2022", "Lao People's Democratic Republic and the WTO", "China train project runs roughshod over Laos", "Laos approves Xayaburi 'mega' dam on Mekong", "Laos Securities Exchange to start trading", "10 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Laos", "Anatomically modern human in Southeast Asia (Laos) by 46 ka", "Archaeological Investigations in northern Laos: New contributions to Southeast Asian prehistory", "History and Practice of Archaeology in Laos", Pittayaporn, Pittayawat (2014). 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. A Chinese firm's plans to build a 100-meter-high Buddha statue in low-lying Vientiane encapsulate China's outsized . The Thai government attempted to repatriate these refugees, but the Wat Tham Krabok Hmong refused to leave and the Lao government refused to accept them, claiming they were involved in the illegal drug trade and were of non-Lao origin. He later died under suspicious circumstances in a re-education camp. With the end of isolationism in the early 1990s however, the French language rebounded, thanks to the establishment of French, Swiss and Canadian relations and opening of French-language centers in central Laos. Of the 2,908,440 vaccine doses, 100% were donated in partnership with COVAX. ", Barclay, Adam and Shrestha, Samjhana (AprilJune 2006). Laos is divided into 17 provinces (khoueng) and one prefecture (kampheng nakhon), which includes the capital city Vientiane (Nakhon Louang Viangchan). It was not until the arrival of the French in 1893 that the city was revived. "Laos agrees to voluntary repatriation of refugees in Thailand", U.P.I., 5 June 1991. [citation needed], Laos's emergence from international isolation has been marked through improved and expanded relations with other countries including Russia, China, Thailand, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. 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 . [83] Around 5,000 Hmong people who were not resettled at the time of the camp closures sought asylum at Wat Tham Krabok, a Buddhist monastery in central Thailand where more than 10,000 Hmong refugees had already been living. Asia. 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. ", "Evaluation Synthesis of Rice in Lao PDR", "Starting an Asian Cinema: Laos Past and Present", "Good Good Morning, Luang Prabang and hello to Laos's film industry", "Q&A with director Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket)", "A tale of revenge in Laos challenges censors", "Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: Chanthaly is A Haunting Portrait of Modern Day Laos", "Laos Selects 'Dearest Sister' as First Foreign-Language Oscar Submission", "Cannes: Southeast Asia Is Ready for Its Big-Screen Close-up", "Laos: Crony scheme in control of press and civil society", "Social Discrimination in the Lao People's Democratic Republic", "Muay Lao, the forgotten art of kickboxing", "Laos Stumbles on Path to Sporting Glory", Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEANRepublic of Korea Commemorative Summit, Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, ASEANAustralia Development Cooperation Program, Outstanding Scientist and Technologist Award, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Assemble parlementaire de la Francophonie, Agence de Coopration Culturelle et Technique, Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Laos&oldid=1142166912, French-speaking countries and territories, Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, States and territories established in 1949, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Articles with failed verification from January 2021, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Pages using infobox country or infobox former country with the symbol caption or type parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2022, Articles containing potentially dated statements from March 2021, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Pages using Sister project links with wikidata mismatch, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 21:55. One of the most problematic economic sectors in Laos is transport. The Pha That Luang Temple in Vientiane, Laos. Today, French has a healthier status in Laos than the other Francophone nations of Asia and about 35% of all students in Laos receive their education in French, with the language being a required course in many schools. The restaurant serves a variety of local delicacies, such as Khao piak sen (a rice noodle soup), mok lao (an exotic coconut curry), and of course, Lao sausage. The nation's most important government buildings, ministries, departments and foreign embassies are located in Vientiane. The capital city of Hanoi is ready to further expand friendship and cooperation activities in various fields, including those of people-elected . Karen J, "House Panel Hears Concerns About Hmong", States News Service, 26 April 1994. The streets are lined with trees, French colonial buildings, street markets, Buddhist temples, and noodle shops. 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