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Kaysone Phomvihane: the Life of a Revolutionary 🇱🇦

A brief biography of the leader of the Lao Revolution, Kaysone Phomvihane🧵

Kaysone Phomvihane (ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ) was born Nguyễn Cai Song on 13 December 1920 in the village of Na Seng, Savannakhet province.

Kaysone excelled in his studies in both Lao and French—so much so that in 1934, at age 13, he was sent to Hanoi to continue his studies.

In 1942, at age 21, as per his father's wishes, began studying medicine at the University of Hanoi. However, he soon changed his course of study to law: where he saw the horrific exploitation and inequality underpinning the colonial system in Indochina.

This led to Kaysone joining the youth league of the Communist Party of Indochina in 1944 at age 23.

Over the next year, Kaysone and his forces were involved in numerous battles as the Lao Issara—defending the province of Savannakhet and establishing a guerilla area in Houaphan.

In 1945, he took up a position with the Laos-Vietnam Liaison Department in Hanoi, Vietnam. Kaysone and his comrades remained there for the next four years with the primary task of preserving their guerilla areas as well as strengthening their forces.

On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong announced the founding of the People's Republic of China. The CP of Indochina, directed by Hồ Chí Minh, immediately sent a request for aid. Aid was approved, and the Lao Issara formally dissolved—Kaysone immediately joined the CP of Indochina.

In 1950, the Lao forces reorganized and established the People's Liberation Army, or Pathet Lao

Kaysone, 29, was appointed the Minister of Defense

Prince Souphanouvong, the former Minister of Defense of the Issara government known as the Red Prince, was elected Prime Minister

In spring of 1953, a coordinated force with General Võ Nguyên Giáp of the People’s Army of Vietnam, liberated regions across upper Laos.
The leadership of Minister Kaysone saw them swiftly achieve great victories; the revolutionary tide was advancing.

The French, attempting to recover, established a base in Điện Biên Phủ. The ensuing battle broke the will of the French and forced them to sign the 1954 Geneva accords—officially ending French domination of the region.

It was at this point, the US imperialists stepped in.

On March 22, 1955, the First Congress of the Lao People’s Party (LPP) was held in Houaphan, formally establishing the Party and electing 34-year-old Defense Minister Kaysone to the post of General Secretary, as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Lao People’s Liberation Army

In late-1964, after numerous failed offensives, coup attempts, etc., the US resorted to the most rapacious and horrific bombing campaign in history; simultaneously, the CIA trained and deployed guerilla death-squads, child soldiers, and Thai mercenaries.

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By 1972, Pathet Lao forces had succeeded in grinding US-backed proxies to dust. Finally accepting their complete defeat, the imperialists sued for peace, and, with the Paris accords of 1973, officially followed in the footsteps of their French forebears.

In 1975, the King of Laos abdicated and the Royal Lao Government was officially disbanded. The tricolor of the free Lao nation was hoisted over the capital, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) was proclaimed after 25 years of struggle.

The Red Prince was named the first President of the Lao PDR, and Kaysone Phomvihane, then age 54, became its first Prime Minister.

They inherited a nation pulverized by millions of bombs and decades of war.

With a population of only around 3 million in 1975, and a literacy rate below 25%, under the leadership of Kaysone Phomvihane, the Lao people did not give up.

The Lao people instead applied their revolutionary vigor with equal success in further advancing domestic conditions and the welfare of all Lao people.

The great revolutionary work had not ended, but had taken on a new character.

With Prime Minister Kaysone Phomvihane at the helm, three new great revolutionary undertakings began: the revolution of productive forces, the scientific-technical revolution, and the ideological-cultural revolution.

Beginning in 1979, Kaysone led the Party in adopting greater economic reforms, modeled after the New Economic Policy of Vladimir Lenin, with added insight from experiences in neighboring China and Vietnam.

The goal is/was, to build socialism without going through a period of capitalism. The resulting period of socialist construction and safeguarding of the people’s democratic system, led to massive, rapid improvements in the livelihood of the Lao people, and continue to this day.

Kaysone Phomvihane served as Prime Minister until 15 August 1991, at which point he was elected as President following the death of the Red Prince—a position he held until 21 November 1992, when, just prior to his 72nd birthday, he too, passed.

A revolutionary career spanning nearly five decades, Kaysone Phomvihane is one of the only Communist leaders in history to have both led a successful revolution and overseen the successful implementation of reforms afterwards.

In every major city in the Lao PDR today there stands a monument or memorial to President Kaysone Phomvihane. Kaysone Phomvihane gave his life as a gift to the people; in return, they give his memory to future generations, and to the world.

For more history of Laos and Kaysone Phomvihane, read the full @MountTaiPress article by @NotMountainChen 👇
mlreadinghub.org/articles/artic…