President Khamtay Siphandone: Outstanding leader of Laos, great friend of Vietnam

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

President Khamtay Siphandone - an outstanding son of the Lao people, an outstanding leader, a staunch revolutionary soldier of the Lao Party and people; a great and close friend of the Party, State and people of Vietnam, passed away at 10:30 a.m. on April 2, 2025, at the age of 102.

Outstanding son, outstanding leader of the Lao Party and people

President Khamtay Siphandone was one of the leaders of the generation that built the movement and pioneered the revolutionary path of Laos. Together with other leaders of Laos, he organized and led the revolutionary movement to maturity and development and achieved great victories.

During his revolutionary career, he held many important positions, from being a representative of the Lao Itxala Government in the Southern Laos region, Chairman of the Central Resistance Committee, then a member of the Central Committee of the Lao Itxala Front and the Lao Patriotic Front, a member of the Party Central Committee; was awarded the rank of General and became the head of the Lao People's Liberation Army, then the Lao People's Army; a member of the Politburo and the Central Secretariat; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense; Prime Minister, then the highest leader of the Lao Party and State until his retirement in 2006.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Khamtay Siphandone boards a P5 aircraft during a visit to the Military Region 7 Command and Bien Hoa airport (1977). (Photo: Hua Kiem/VNA)

President Khamtay Siphandone was born on February 8, 1924 into a family with a tradition of fighting against French colonialism and local feudalism in the area of ​​Siphandone province (now Champasak province).

Since 1946, young man Khamtay Siphandone participated in the movement of officials, youth, and students, fighting against French colonialism in both legal and secret forms.

By 1947, when it was impossible to continue fighting against French colonialism in this form, he joined the Lao Issara Front, marking the beginning of his revolutionary career.

In the following years, he stood shoulder to shoulder with President Kaysone Phomvihane, President Souphanouvong and other leaders of the Lao Patriotic Front to lead the national liberation movement, gain victory, and establish the Lao People's Democratic Republic on December 2, 1975.

After 1975, he continued to work with President Kaysone Phomvihane and other Lao leaders to research and propose policies for each period. Typically, he led the organization to carry out two strategic tasks including the cause of protecting the new regime and building the country.

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

On August 15, 1991, the Second Session of the Supreme People's Assembly adopted the first Constitution of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and elected him as Prime Minister. On November 24, 1992, the Central Politburo Conference of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party unanimously elected him as Party Chairman.

As the head of the Lao Government, then the highest leader of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, he directed the study of the Party's theory, vision, strategy, guidelines, and policies for long-term national development and socio-economic development plans in each period in accordance with the conditions of the new mechanism, the market economic mechanism under State management.

Notable are the strategic vision to 2020; determining the economic structure; decentralizing management by sector; resolution on human resource development; resolution on building political bases and comprehensive rural development; directive on converting provinces into strategic units, converting districts into planning-financial units, converting villages into implementation units; resolution on cultural work in the new period...

All of the above important contributions are the efforts, intelligence and creative thinking of President Khamtay Siphandone in the cause of protecting, building and developing the country as well as organizing the implementation of the innovation policy to bring about the practical results of today's Land of a Million Elephants.

Since 2006, although retired, President Khamtay Siphandone is still concerned about the situation of the country; continues to work to contribute to the consolidation and building of a strong Party, building the State into a rule-of-law state and serving the people.

People who contributed to strengthening and nurturing the special relationship between Laos and Vietnam

Together with President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane, President Souphanouvong, President Khamtay Siphandone and the leaders of the two countries laid a solid foundation and devoted themselves to cultivating the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos into an exemplary, loyal, and pure relationship that is rare in the world, summarized in two verses of President Ho Chi Minh: "Vietnam and Laos, our two countries / Love is deeper than the waters of the Red River and the Mekong River".

President Khamtay Siphandone was the first person to represent the Lao resistance government to meet comrade Pham Van Dong, permanent representative of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam Government in southern Vietnam in Quang Ngai province (1947), to discuss the coordination of the fighting alliance between Laos and Vietnam, especially the sending of Vietnamese volunteer troops to coordinate with the Lao resistance army in activities, building forces, helping the Lao resistance army, later the Lao People's Army, to grow, develop and become stronger. It can be said that this is an important milestone, contributing to the formation of the Laos-Vietnam Fighting Alliance.

During the resistance war and national salvation, President Khamtay Siphandone shared the joys and sorrows, fought side by side with Vietnamese military experts and volunteer soldiers in many battles on different battlefields, contributing to the glorious victory of the two nations in the fight against the common enemy.

In the process of protecting, building and developing the country, President Khamtay Siphandone always cooperates closely with Vietnam to exchange and share experiences, support and help each other.

General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and President Tran Duc Luong received Lao Party Chairman and President Khamtay Siphandone during his official friendship visit to Vietnam (2002). (Photo: Nguyen Khang/VNA)

He is also one of the Lao leaders who always has close and close relations with Vietnamese leaders at all times. He is always interested in cultivating, promoting and contributing to deepening the relationship between the two countries, helping this relationship to increasingly bear fruit and last forever.

Since his retirement in 2006, he has always cared for, followed, and continued to contribute to the construction and development of Laos as well as the special solidarity relationship between Laos and Vietnam.

It can be affirmed that the tireless and important contributions of President Khamtay Siphandone in the cause of protecting, building and developing Laos have contributed significantly to fostering the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam.

And the noble patriotism and dedication to the country of the two countries' senior leaders, including President Khamtay Siphandone, joined hands to preserve and nurture the special friendship between Laos and Vietnam, Vietnam and Laos, forever green and everlasting.

According to Nhan Dan Newspaper

https://nhandan.vn/chu-tich-khamtay-siphandone-nha-lanh-dao-xuat-sac-cua-lao-nguoi-ban-lon-cua-viet-nam-post869682.html

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/chu-tich-khamtay-siphandone-nha-lanh-dao-xuat-sac-cua-lao-nguoi-ban-lon-cua-viet-nam-212147.html