Lao communist party：Pathet Lao

1950–1975 left-wing national liberation movement of Laos

This article is about the political movement. For the country, see Laos.

The Pathet Lao (Lao: ປະເທດລາວ, romanized: Pa thēt Lāo, lit. Lao Nation[1]), officially the Lao Peoples Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group ultimately gained control over the entire country of Laos in 1975, after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated and dependent on Vietnamese communists and North Vietnam since their foundation, with the group being established after advice from Hanoi to create a Laotian counterpart of the Viet Minh later Viet Cong. During the civil war, it was effectively organised, equipped and even led by the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN). They fought against the anti-communist forces in the Vietnam War. Eventually, the term became the generic name for Laotian communists. Under orders from Mao Zedong, the Peoples ...