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	Vietnamese in Champasak (Laos): Preserving Culture, Strengthening Bonds

Former President of Laos Khamtay Siphandone - a distinguished son of the Lao people, an outstanding leader, and a resilient revolutionary fighter of the Lao Party and people, passed away at 10.30 am on April 2, at the age of 102.

An outstanding leader and a distinguished son of the Lao people

President Khamtay Siphandone was one of the leaders of the generation that laid the foundations for the revolutionary movement and pioneered Laos’s path to independence. Alongside prominent leaders, he played a pivotal role in guiding the revolutionary movement, ensuring its growth, and achieving significant victories.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Khamtay Siphandone visit the Military Region 7 Command and Bien Hoa Airport (1977). (Photo: Hua Khiem/VNA)

Throughout his revolutionary career, he held many important positions, from a representative of the Lao Government in the southern region of Laos, Chairman of the Central Resistance Committee, to a member of the Central Committee of the Lao Itxala Front and the Lao Patriotic Front, and a member of the Central Party Committee.

He was promoted to General and became the head of the Lao People’s Liberation Army, which later became the Lao People’s Army.

He also served as a member of the Lao Politburo and the Secretariat of the Central Party, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence, Prime Minister and ultimately became the highest leader of both the Party and State of Laos until his retirement in 2006.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Khamtay Siphandone boards a P5 plane during a visit to the Military Region 7 Command and Bien Hoa Airport (1977). (Photo: VNA)

President Khamtay Siphandone was born on February 8, 1924, into a family with a strong tradition of resistance against French colonialism and local feudalism in the region of Siphandone (now Champasak Province).

In 1946, as a young man, he joined movements of civil servants, youth, and students, engaging in both legal and clandestine resistance against French colonialism. By 1947, unable to continue his activities in the same manner, he joined the Lao Issara Front, marking the beginning of his revolutionary career.

In the years that followed, he stood shoulder to shoulder with President Kaysone Phomvihane, President Souphanouvong, and other leaders of the Lao Patriotic Front in leading the struggle for national liberation, achieving victory and establishing the Lao People's Democratic Republic on December 2, 1975.

After 1975, he continued to work alongside President Kaysone Phomvihane and other Lao leaders to devise policies for each developmental stage, notably leading the implementation of two strategic missions: safeguarding the new regime and building the nation.

General Vo Nguyen Giap, Minister of National Defence (right), welcomes Khamtay Siphandone, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, on a visit to Vietnam (1977). (Photo: VNA)

On August 15, 1991, the second session of the Lao People's Supreme Congress passed the country’s first constitution and elected him as Prime Minister. On November 24, 1992, the Central Politburo of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party elected him as Party Chairman.

As head of the Lao government and later the highest leader of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, he directed the Party's theoretical research, strategic vision, policies for long-term national development, and socio-economic plans suited to the new economic mechanism, the market economic mechanism under State management.

His notable contributions included strategic visions for the country up to 2020, defining economic structures, decentralization of sectoral management, resolutions on human resource development, policies on political infrastructure and rural development, and directives on provincial strategic transformation, district financial planning, and village implementation. His policies significantly contributed to the protection, construction, and development of Laos, as well as the implementation of reforms that yielded tangible national progress.

Even after his retirement in 2006, President Khamtay Siphandone remained deeply concerned about national affairs and continued to contribute to strengthening the Party and building a rule-of-law state that serves the people.

A contributor to strengthening the special Laos-Vietnam relationship

Alongside Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane, and President Souphanouvong, President Khamtay Siphandone and other leaders of the two countries laid a solid foundation for and wholeheartedly nurtured the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos, an exemplary, faithful, and pure relationship that is rare in the world.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh (second from right) and State President Tran Duc Luong (first from right) receive President of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Khamtay Siphandone, during his official friendship visit to Vietnam in 2002. (Photo: VNA)

The deep friendship has become a model of unity and trust, immortalized in the words of President Ho Chi Minh: “Vietnam and Laos, our two nations/ Our bond is deeper than the water of Red River and the Mekong River.”

President Khamtay Siphandone was the first to represent the Lao Government in 1947, meeting with permanent representative of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Quang Ngai Province Pham Van Dong, to discuss coordinating the military alliance between Laos and Vietnam, especially the deployment of Vietnamese volunteer troops to collaborate with the Lao resistance forces in supporting the Lao resistance army, which later became the Lao People’s Army.

During the resistance war, President Khamtay Siphandone stood side by side with Vietnamese military experts and volunteer soldiers on various battlefields, contributing to the two countries' victories over common enemies.

In the period of national defense, construction, and development, he maintained close cooperation with Vietnam in exchanging experiences, providing mutual support, and fostering bilateral ties.

As one of the Lao leaders who maintained strong and enduring relationships with Vietnamese leaders across all periods, he consistently prioritized nurturing and deepening the Vietnam-Laos relationship. Thanks to his efforts, the friendship between the two countries has flourished and remains enduring.

Following his retirement in 2006, President Khamtay Siphandone remained committed to the development of Laos and the special relationship between Laos and Vietnam.

It can be confidently stated that President Khamtay Siphandone's tireless contributions to Laos' national defense, construction, and development played a crucial role in fostering great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam.

The spirit of patriotism, dedication to the nation, and leadership of figures like President Khamtay Siphandone ensure that the enduring friendship between the two countries will continue to thrive for future generations.

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