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Vietnam Thailand
First posted on May 4th 2002; last revised on April 17th 2010







 Prior to the 14th century much of the territory of modern Laos formed part of the Khmer Empire. From 1353 to 1707 the region was under the control of the Kingdom of Lan Xang. In 1707 it was split in three, the Kingdoms of Luang Prabang, Viang Chan (Vientiane) and Champassak. During this period of partition, Siam attempted to extend its suzerainty over the Laotian kingfoms. In 1893 France established a protectorate over Laos, which was integrated into French Indochina. In 1954 France withdrew from Indochina, and Laos was declared an independent Kingdom. The country being drawn into the Vietnam War, in 1975 the Communist Pathet Lao took control of government and country, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic was proclaimed.


Historical Atlas : Laos Page

see also the history of French Indochina







E x t e r n a l . F i l e s
Country Profiles Links, Portals Organizations Accounts of History Politics Military History Economic History
Social History Ethnography History of Religion Regional History Local History Institutions Culture
Biography Others
D o c u m e n t s
Historical Data Documents Institutions National Symbols
P r i n t e d . R e f e r e n c e
Bibliographies Online Libraries Online Journals General Accounts Specific Topics Historical Dictionaries Others



WEB-BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . EXTERNAL FILES
Country Profiles Current from BBC Country Profiles; from World Desk Reference ; from Nations Encyclopedia; from Wikipedia; from CIA World Factbook, Countries : Laos
Library of Congress, Country Studies : Laos
from World Wide Gazetteer
Historic Pierre-Jacques Lemonnier de La Bissachere, Etat actuel du Tunkin, de la Cochinchine, et des Royaumes de Camboge, Laos et Lac-Tho, 1812, in French, GB
Ch. Gosselin, Le Laos, et le protectorat français, 1900, in French, IA
Aymonier, Etienne, Notes sur le Laos, 1885, in French, SBB
Branda, Paul, Le Haut-Mekong ou le Laos ouvert avec une carte autographe du Haut Mekong, 1887, in French, SBB
Reveillere, Paul Emile Marie, Le Haut-Mekong ou le Laos ouvert, 1892, in French, SBB
Gosselin, Charles, Le Laos et le protectorat français, 1900, in French, SBB
Links General from Library of Congress, Portals to the World
from BUBL, from dmoz
List of Laos-related Topics, from Wikipedia; Category : Laos, from Wikipedia; Categorie : Laos, from Wikipedia French edition
from East and Southeast Asia. An Annotated Directory of Internet Resources
on History Category : History of Laos, from Wikipedia; Categorie : Histoire du Laos, from Wikipedia French edition
Historical Dictionary
Organizations International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA)
Japan Society for Southeast Asian Studies (JSSEAS)
The International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History (ICEAACH)
Finnish University Network for East and Southeast Asian Studies
Royal Institute : Academy of Moral and Political Sciences : Section of History, Discipline Thai History
Southeast Asian Archaeology Newsblog
Ecole Français d'Extreme Orient, Vientiane Center
Timelines from timelines.ws, a website exploiting US newspaper articles, very detailed on the 20th century; from BBC News
Accounts of History Current History of Laos, from Embassy of Laos, very brief; from Infoplease and from Visit Laos
History of Laos, from Wikipedia; from Crime and Society. A Comparative Criminology Tour of the World (Robert Winslow)
SEASite Laos, click on : history
Historical
Specific Periods When Japan ruled Laos, from CPA Media
Sanderson Beck, Siam, Cambodia and Laos 1800-1950
Yong En En, The Failure of Communism to take root among the Cambodians and the Lao before 1945 reflected the Success of a French Divide-and-Rule Policy which pitted these Groups against the Vietnamese. It also reflected the Fact that the Confucian Base of Vietnamese Culture made them more receptive to Marxism. Theravada Buddhist Base of Cambodian and Lao Culture,, NUS History Society e-Journal
Laos 1957-1973. L'Armee Clandestine, from William Blum, Killing Hope, posted by Third World Traveller
Historiography Contesting Visions of the Thai-Lao Past (1999)
Politics Political Resources on the Net : Laos; Governments on the WWW : Nepal; For the Record 2000 : Lao Peoples Dem. Rep., from UN Human Rights System; Article Politics of Laos, from Wikipedia
Military Wars of Laos, from ACED
Orders, Decorations and Medals of Laos, from ODM
Economy & Finances A Global History of Currencies : Laos
Article Economy of Laos, from Wikipedia
Lao Kip, from Wikipedia
Laos Energy Profile, from Energy Information Administration; Category Energy in Laos, from Wikipedia
Category : Enterprise Laos, from Economy Point
Search Company History, Funding Universe : Company Histories for Laos
Social History Crime and Society. A Comparative Criminology Tour of the World : Laos
Ethnography Languages of Laos (82), from Ethnologue
Assessment for Hmong in Laos, from Minorities at Risk
World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples : Laos
Religion Chronology of Catholic Dioceses : Laos, from Kirken i Norge
Category Religion in Laos, from Wikipedia
Catholic Church in Lao People's Democratic Republic, from GCatholic
Buddhism in Laos, from Buddha Net
History of Regions Provinces of Laos, Divisions of Laos, from www.statoids.com
Lemire, Charles, Le Laos annamite r?ions des Tiem (Ailao) des Mo? et des Pou-Euns (Cam-Mon et Tran-Ninh) restituees en 1893, 1894, in French, SBB
Local History History of Vientiane, from Wikipedia
History of Luang Prabang, from Wikipedia
Institutions Royal Palace Museum, from Wikipedia
History, from National University of Laos
Laos, Indo-China, from Airline History
Structurae : Laos
Culture Laos Cultural Profile, from Cultural Profiles
Article Laos at the Olympics, from Wikipedia
Social Realism in Laos, from CPA Media
Biographies List of Laotian Politicians, from Wikipedia
Others Disaster History by Country : Laos, from Relief Web
Alcohol and Drugs History Society : Laos
Indo-Malayan Ecoregion, from WWF

WEB-BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . EXTERNALLY POSTED DOCUMENTS
Historical Data Lists of Statesmen from World Statesmen (B. Cahoon); from Rulers (B. Schemmel); from Regnal Chronologies; from World Rulers (E. Schulz, illustrated)
Lists of Ambassadors Liste Chronologique des Ambassadeurs (de France au Laos), from Ambafrance; U.S. Ambassadors to Laos, from NNDB; Chinese Ambassadors to Laos, from PRC MOFA; Liste der Botschafter der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Vientiane (Laos), from Wikipedia German edition
List of Canadian Heads of Post, click Laos
Lists of Apostolic Vicars etc. Articles : Vicariate Apostolic of Vientiane, Vicariate Apostolic of Luang Prabang, Vicariate Apostolic of Pakse, Vicariate Apostolic of Savannakhet, from Wikipedia
Statistical Data Responsible Institution Lao Statistics Bureau
Population Figures Historical Population Statistics : Laos, from Population Statistics, Univ. Utrecht
City Population : Laos, from City Population
Estimates of Death Toll under Pathet Lao, posted by Matthew White, scroll down for Laos
Election Results from Psephos ; from IFES Election Guide (since 2006)
Exchange Rates Historical Exchange Rates, from Oanda, since 1990
Documents Historical Newspapers Kranten Historisch [historical newspapers]
History of Laos, from World History Archives
Modern Newspapers links from World Newspapers
Image Databanks Systematic Collections
General 		Archives nationales d'outre-mer, Base Ulysse, image base
Systematic Collections
Specialist 		Viengxay, PDR Laos : Historical Photos
Metta5112, 1950-1960+ Old Pictures in Vientiane
Accidental Collections Wikimedia Commons
Oriental Collections
Items on Laos 		Image Databank : South East Asian Images & Texts, from University of Wisconsin Digital Collection (on Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia)
Propaganda poster warning of the Viet Minh, posted by Memorial - Le Mur de Donateurs
Asian Historical Architecture, a Photographic Survey
Universal Collections
Items on Laos 		License Plate, from World License Plate
Passport, from World Passports
Historic Picture Postcards, from Postcardman, commercial site
Airline Timetable Images : Laos
Video Documentaries Search INA (video documentaries 1941-2001) for Laos
Archival Deposits U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, search for Laos
Search New Zealand Electronic Text Centre for Laos
Search CIA Released Documents for Laos
Constitutions, Laws List of Ratifications of International Labour Conventions by Laos, from ILO, 4 docs. since 1964
Internatonal Law Library : Laos; Constitution of 1991, from Lao Embassy Washington
Treaties Australian Treaty Series : Bilateral Treaties - Laos
Indochina - Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos : Documents 1950-1964, from Avalon Project at Yale Law School
Document Collections Documents : Laos, from CEAS at UCLA
Historical Maps responsible institutions
collections : Asia Historical Map Archive : Historical Maps of Asia
collections : Laos see here
SEASite Laos, click on : maps
Talessman's Atlas, series of maps of the Eastern Hemisphere 1300 BC - 1500 AD
Maps of Laos, posted by Mapas Imperiales, scans, scroll down for Laos
Cartotheque et Chronologie, from Dossier Indochine by Academie Rheims
Canby Publications, Cambodia : Historical Map Index
Historical Maps Archive : Historical Maps of Indo-China
Indochine Souvenir : Cartes
Laos Maps, PCL, UTexas
Atlas of Laos, Wikimedia Commons
PRINT : J.M. Pluvier, Historical Atlas of South-East Asia, Leiden : Brill 1995 [G]
Asia, Modern Maps : Eastern Hemisphere 550 B.C., 527 BC, 500 BC, 400 BC, 335 BC, 323 BC, 300 BC, 200 BC, 100 BC, 050 BC, 050 AD, 200 AD, 300 AD, 400 AD, 450 AD, 565 AD, 600 AD, 610 AD, 900 AD, 1000 AD, 1025 AD, 1100 AD, 1200 AD, 1300 AD, 1400 AD, 1500 AD, Asia 700 AD, 800 AD, by Thomas Lessman
Asia, Historical Asia : Güssefeld/Homann 1793, Güssefeld/Homann 1805, Schmidt/Schropp 1820, Herisson 1848, GDZ
Asia 1892, PCL, UTexas
Laos, Modern Map of Ethnic Groups in Laos, from IKAP - MMSEA
W. Pfriemer, MAG map of Laos where still unexploded ordnances lying around
Laos, Contemporary
Detail, Modern Ho Chi Minh-Trail Map, from Ewectourism
Detail, Contemporary U.S. Army Map Service, Indochina and Thailand, 1:250,000, 1954-, PCL, UTexas
Historical
Encyclopedia Entries 		Secular from EB 1911; from Meyers Konversationslexikon 1885-1892, in German (Lao)
Religious from Catholic Encyclopedia 1907-1914
Economic
Geographical Entry : The Kingdom of Lawhos, pp.106-112, in : T.G. Smoillett, The Present State of the World, vol.7 1768, GB
Laos, pp.502-512 in vol.5 of L.P. Anquetil, Precis de l'Histoire Universelle ou Tableau historique presentant les vicissitudes des Nations ... , 1799, in French, GB
Laos, pp.174-175 in vol.2 of J. Pinkerton, Modern Geography 1804, GB
Entry : The Kingdom of Laos, pp.278-279 in vol.2 of C. Malte-Brun, Universal geography : or a description of All Parts of the World, 1827, GB
Articles : Lanjan, Laos, in : J. Walker, The Universal Gazetteer , 1807 (unpaginated), GB
Entry : Royaume de Laos, pp.60-61 in vol.4 of J.J. Vaissete, Geographie historique, ecclesiastique et civile, 1755, in French, GB
Entry : Laos, pp.485-500, in : Adolphe Philibert Dubois de Jancigny, Histoire et Description de Tous les Peuples : Japon, Indochine, Ceylan etc., 1801, in French, GB
Ethnological The Tai Nation : Shans and Laos pp.202-203 in A.H. Keane, The World's Peoples: A Popular Account of Their Bodily & Mental Characters , 1908, GB
Historical Entry : Du Laos, pp.234-240 in vol.1 of Antoine Augustin Bruzen de La Martiniere, Introduction a l'histoire de l'Asie, de l'Afrique, et de l'Amerique, 1735, in French, GB
The Present State of Siam, pp.61-91, in vol.1 of Th. Salmon, Modern History or the Present State of All Nations, 1744, GB ; pp.61-62 refer to Laos
Entry : Du Laos, pp.500-508 in : Samuel von Pufendorf, Introduction ? l'histoire generale et politique de l'univers, completee & continuee jusqu'a 1745, 1745, in French, GB
The Kingdom of Lawhos, or Laos, pp.140-194, in : The Modern Part of an Universal History, vol.7, 1759, GB
The Kingdom of Lawhos, or Laos, pp.218-252, in : G. Sale et al., The Modern Part of an Universal History, vol.24, 1781, GB
Entry : Laos, pp.48-59 in vol.7 of Louis Pierre Anquetil, Precis de l'histoire universelle, ou tableau historique, 1801, in French, GB
Entry : Laos, pp.834-835, in : vol.4 of E.W. Whitaker, A complete system of universal history, 1821, GB
on Customs Entry : Religion des Laies, Langiens ou Laos, pp.98-101, in : vol.2 pt.1 of Bernard Picart, Ceremonies et coutumes religieuses des Peuples Idolatres, 1728, in French, GB
Entry : Storia e Governo di Laos, pp.121-126, in vol.4 of D. G. Ferrario, Il Costume Antico e Moderno di Tutti i Popoli, 1824, in Italian, GB
Parliamentary Debates
Tour Guides, Travelogues
Institutions Archives Archives in Laos, from Laos Cultural Profile
Musea Lists, Links
Musea Museum Websites Lao National Museum, Luang Prabang National Museum, from Laos Cultural Profile
Monuments Tentative Lists : Lao PDR, World Heritage List, scroll down for Lao PDR; from UNESCO World Heritage
Laos Index, from Showcaves
Libraries National Library, Laos
National Symbols Flags, Coats of Arms Flag, from FOTW; Coat of Arms, from Wikipedia; National Anthem, from National Anthems Net
Coins, Banknotes Banknotes from World Currency Gallery; from Ron Wise's World Paper Money

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliographies general Search ISBN Database
on Laos survey of bibliographies
bibliographic database
general bibliographies pp.170-239 in M. Stuart-Fox and M. Kooyman, Historical Dictionary of Laos, Lanham Md : Scarecrow 1992 [G]
Cordier, Bibliotheca indo-sinica; essai d'une bibliographie des ouvrages relatifs a la presqu'ile Indo-chinoise 1908, IA
Clio, Voyages Culturels : Bibliographie Laos
Comite de Cooperation avec le Laos, Bibliographie sur le Laos
Bibliography, from Library of Congress Country Studies : Laos
Lao-Related Bibliography, from Hmong Studies
annual bibliographies
specialist bibliographies Tribal Textiles : Laos Bibliography
Women's Studies Bibliography : Laos
J. Halpern, An annotated bibliography on the peoples of Laos and Northern Thailand [selected sources in English, French and Japanese, published since 1945] 1961
Bibliography, Thai, Lao and Cambodian Manuscript Collection, British Library
serial publications New Asia Books : Laos
general bibliographies
Laos entries
booksellers
Search Asian Development Bank (ADB) Publications for Laos
ASEAN Environmental Education Inventory Database, resources, scroll down for Laos
Food and Culture (a bibliography), by R.T. Dirks, click on South East Asia
Books on Laos, from Orchid Press
Online Libraries general Google Books; Internet Archives; Gutenberg Library Online; HathiTrust; International Boundary Studies, search for Laos
Gallica
on Laos Digital Library of Lao Manuscripts
Digitale Sammlungen : Ostasiatica, from Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin
ISEAS Working Papers, Back Issues 2000-2003
Thesis Server South East Asian Studies, Student Theses, from Ohio University
South East Asia Dissertations, click Indo-China, Laos
Online Journals South East Asia Journals, from ELIN-NIAS; Laos Journals, from ELIN-NIAS; Search Electronic Journals Online for Laos
Asia Insights, from NIAS, 2002-
Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extreme-Orient 1901-2003
Southeast Asian Studies 1963-, mostly in Japanese
Explorations, 1997- Graduate Student Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, CSEAS, Univ. of Hawaii
Indochina Chronicle 46 ; Jan. 1976 "Laos; A New Begining", IA
General Accounts Nicholas Tarling, The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, 4 vol.s, Cambridge : UP (1992) 1999, KMLA Lib.Sign. 959 T188c
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition, Macropaedia, Vol.27, pp.740-744 Article Southeast Asia : Laos, KMLA Lib.Sign. R 032 B862h v.27
Historical Dictionaries Martin Stuart-Fox and Mary Kooyman, Historical Dictionary of Laos, Metuchen N.J. : Scarecrow 1992, 258 pp. [G]
Historical Atlasses Jan M. Pluvier, Historical Atlas of Southeast Asia, Leiden : Brill 1995 [G]
Statistical Data IHS : B.R. Mitchell, International Historical Statistics. Africa, Asia & Oceania 1750-2000, London : Palgrave 2003 [G]
Yearbook Entries Britannica Book of the Year 1956 p.393, 1957 p.455, 1958 p.395, 1959 pp.391-392, 1960 pp.385-386, 1961 pp.392-393, 1962 pp.388-390, 1963 pp.505-406, 1964 pp.489-490, 1965 pp.474-475, 1966 p.445, 1967 pp.469-470, 1968 pp.468-469, 1969 pp.455-456, 1970 pp.457-458, 1971 pp.437-438, 1972 pp.407-408, 1973 pp.403-404, 1974 pp.403-405, 1975 pp.425-426, 1976 pp.453-454, 1978 pp.481-482, 1979 pp.475-476, 1980 p.478, 1981 p.480, 1982 p.480, 1983 p.474, 1984 pp.473-474, 1985 pp.517, 721, 1986 p.719, 1987 pp.481-482, 687, 1988 pp.439, 639, 1989 pp.439, 640, 1990 pp.455-456, 655, 1991 pp.437-438, 639, 1992 pp.410, 638, 1993 pp.413-414, 649, 1994 pp.414, 648, 1995 pp.436, 649, 1996 pp.433-434, 649, 1997 pp.443-444, 647, 1999 pp.464-465, 642, 2002 pp.455, 653 [G]
Statesman's Year-Book French Indo-China - Laos 1905 pp.638-643, 1906 p.680, 1907 p.934, 1910 pp.784-789, 1918 pp.847-848, 1919 p.853, 1924 pp.892-893, 1925 p.905, 1926 p.878, 1928 p.892, 1929 pp.879-880, 1932 p.882, 1937 pp.921-922, 1942 p.911, 1943 p.908, Laos 1961-1962 pp.1203-1206, 1970-1971 pp.1116-1121, 1973-1974 pp.1127-1131, 1975-1976 pp.1115-1119, 1976-1977 pp.1115-1119, 1978-1979 pp.770-773, 1979-1980 pp.774-777, 1980-1981 pp.777-780, 1981-1982 pp.780-783, 1982-1983 pp.781-784, 1983-1984 pp.774-777, 1984-1985 pp.776-779, 1985-1986 pp.779-782, 1986-1987 pp.779-782, 1987-1988 pp.783-786, 1988-1989 pp.785-788, 1989-1990 pp.794-797, 1990-1991 pp.795-798, 1991-1992 pp.796-799, 1992-1993 pp.873-876, 1993-1994 pp.866-869, 1994-1995 pp.859-862, 1995-1996 pp.855-859, 1996-1997 pp.804-808, 1997-1998 pp.815-819, 1998-1999 pp.874-878, 2000 pp.1000-1004, 2001 pp.976-980, 2002 pp.1018-1022, 2003 pp.1020-1024, 2004 pp.1026-1030, 2005 pp.1032-1036, 2006 pp.1030-1036, 2007 pp.771-774, 2008 pp.767-770 [G]
(New) Int'l Yearbook 1907 p.448, 1908 p.402, 1909 pp.414-415, 1913 p.395 [G]
Americana Annual 1957 pp.443-444, 1961 pp.415-418, 1962 pp.424-427, 1963 pp.383-384, 1964 pp.380-382, 1965 pp.396-398, 1967 pp.398-399, 1968 p.396, 1969 p.408, 1970 p.406, 1971 p.396, 1972 pp.393-394, 1973 p.395, 1974 pp.332-333, 1976 pp.103, 332, 1988 p.316, 1989 p.320, 1990 p.312, 1992 p.320, 1993 p.318, 1994 p.316, 1998 p.311
YB on Int'l Communist Affairs 1973 pp.506-510, 1974 pp.489-494, 1976 pp.324-330, 1978 pp.279-283, 1979 pp.262-266, 1980 pp.272-276, 1984 pp.246-249, 1988 pp.193-196, 1989 pp.233-239
Other