20 Facts About Souphanouvong

Souphanouvong was the President of Laos from December 1975 to October 1986.

Souphanouvong was one of the sons of Prince Bounkhong, the last viceroy of Luang Prabang.

Souphanouvong attended the Lycee Albert Sarraut in Hanoi and then studied civil engineering at the Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussees in Paris, and worked at a port in Le Havre.

Souphanouvong first served as its provincial chairman in Thakhek, then as foreign minister of the Lao Issara government and commander-in-chief of the Army for the Liberation and Defense of Laos.

Unlike other members of the national liberation movement, Souphanouvong believed that Laos could only liberate itself from French rule in alliance with the Viet Minh and wanted Lao Issara and Viet Minh to unite in an Indochina-wide struggle against French rule.

On 1 November 1945, Souphanouvong signed a Mutual Assistance Agreement between Lao Issara and Viet Minh.

However, the movement was led by the communist politician Kaysone Phomvihane and Souphanouvong was more of a figurehead in it.

Souphanouvong joined the Pathet Lao because of personal conflicts with the Lao Issara leadership.

However, all of Souphanouvong's statements was treated with caution, since according to two American contacts, he was a "perfect liar".

Souphanouvong had spent much of his adult life, studying and working in Vietnam, and was married to a Vietnamese woman.

Souphanouvong is thus part of a tradition of many aristocrats in Lao history who sought the support of one of the two large neighbors - either Thailand or Vietnam - in order to gain or retain power.

Souphanouvong joined the Lao People's Party in 1955, but was not part of its leadership.

Souphanouvong continued to advocate for Pathet Lao-neutralist cooperation and contributed to the negotiations that led to the International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos, which was signed in Geneva in 1962.

Souphanouvong tried again to create an alliance of Pathet Lao and neutralists to end the Laotian Civil War, in which his eldest son was killed.

Souphanouvong was elected President of National Assembly from 1958 to 1959 following the success in the 1958 elections.

Souphanouvong was the President of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1975 to 1988.

Souphanouvong was married to Nguyen Thi Ky Nam, a Vietnamese woman who was the daughter of a civil servant.

Souphanouvong died on 9 January 1995 in Vientiane, due to a heart disease.

Souphanouvong is celebrated by the leadership of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and its press organs as a hero and "light figure" of the revolution and the Laotian nation.

Souphanouvong was buried in a stupa next to the Pha That Luang and in 2012, his remains were moved to the newly constructed national cemetery in Vientiane.