Origins & Early Life

Kaysone Phomvihane (Lao: ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ, pronounced [kàj.sɔ̌ːn pʰóm.wī(ʔ).hǎːn]; 13 December 1920 – 21 November 1992) was a Laotian politician and revolutionary who served as the first leader of the Communist Lao People's Revolutionary Party from 1955 until his death in 1992. After the Communists seized power in the wake of the Laotian Civil War, he was the de facto leader of Laos from 1975 until his death. He served as the first Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic from 1975 to 1991 and then as the second President from 1991 to 1992. His theories and policies are officially known as Kaysone Phomvihane Thought.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Kaysone was born Nguyễn Cai Song (although he also used the name Nguyễn Trí Mưu for a short period in the 1930s) in Na Seng village, Khanthabouli district, French Indochina (now Kaysone Phomvihane District, Savannakhet Province, Laos). His father, Nguyễn Trí Loan, was Vietnamese and his mother, Nang Dok, was Lao. He had two sisters: Nang Souvanthong, living in Thailand, and Nang Kongmany, who lived in the USA. He attended law school at the University of Indochina in Hanoi alongside fellow future revolutionary Nouhak Phoumsavan, but dropped out...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

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