Laos

American  

[lah-ohs, lous, ley-os, la-aws] / ˈlɑ oʊs, laʊs, ˈleɪ ɒs, laˈɔs /

noun

1. a country in Southeast Asia: formerly part of French Indochina. 91,500 sq. mi. (236,985 sq. km). Vientiane.

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Laos British  

/ laʊs, laʊz /

noun

1. Official name: People's Democratic Republic of Laos.  a republic in SE Asia: first united as the kingdom of Lan Xang ("million elephants") in 1353, after being a province of the Khmer Empire for about four centuries; made part of French Indochina in 1893 and gained independence in 1949; became a republic in 1975. It is generally forested and mountainous, with the Mekong River running almost the whole length of the W border. Official language: Laotian. Religion: Buddhist majority, tribal religions. Currency: kip. Capital: Vientiane. Pop: 6 695 166 (2013 est). Area: 236 800 sq km (91 429 sq miles)

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Laos Cultural  

1. Mountainous, landlocked republic in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma to the northwest, China to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Its capital and largest city is Vientiane.

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Discover More

Civil war among communist and noncommunist factions in the 1950s and 1960s attracted extensive covert aid from the Soviet Union, China, and the United States.

During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese communists established the Ho Chi Minh Trail through the remote mountains of Laos to channel troops and supplies from North Vietnam to South Vietnam.

The communist Pathet Lao, with long-standing close ties to the Vietnamese communists, have been in power since 1975.

Part of French Indochina from 1893 to 1949, it was granted full sovereignty in 1954.

Example Sentences

The first of five men found alive after spending more than a week trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos has been freed.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

Finnish diver Mikko Paasi was involved in that rescue and the current emergency in Laos.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

Laos has shortened the school week from five days to three.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Major world leaders who have attended in previous years were absent, with guests this year including the leaders of Laos, Malaysia, several post-Soviet nations and the unrecognized Republika Srpska, a Serb-controlled region in the Balkans.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

During the Vietnam War, John and Marti Peterson spent three perilous years together in neighboring Laos, where John trained and advised a guerrilla army to fight the communist insurgency there.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau