Lao Party Chairman and President Khamtay Siphandone (left) meets General Võ Nguyên Giáp during his official visit to Việt Nam in 2002.— VNA/VNS File Photo Đức Tám

HÀ NỘI — The former President of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and former President of Laos, Khamtay Siphandone, a distinguished son of the Lao people, an outstanding leader and a resilient revolutionary fighter of the Lao Party and people, passed away at 10.30 am on Wednesday, at the age of 102.

He was one of the leaders of the generation that laid the foundations for the revolutionary movement and pioneered Laos’s path to independence.

Alongside other prominent leaders, he played a pivotal role in guiding the revolutionary movement, ensuring its growth and achieving significant victories.

Throughout his revolutionary career, he held many important positions, from a representative of the Lao Government in the southern region of Laos, Chairman of the Central Resistance Committee, to a member of the Central Committee of the Lao Itxala Front and the Lao Patriotic Front, and a member of the Central Party Committee.

He was promoted to General and became the head of the Lao People’s Liberation Army, which later became the Lao People’s Army.

He also served as a member of the Lao Politburo and the Secretariat of the Central Party, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence, Prime Minister and ultimately became the highest leader of both the Party and State of Laos until his retirement in 2006.

He was born on February 8, 1924, into a family with a tradition of resistance against French colonialism and local feudalism in the region of Siphandone (now Champasak Province).

In 1946, as a young man, he joined the civil servants and students movement engaging in legal and clandestine activities against French colonialism.

By 1947, facing the impossibility of continuing the struggle in the form, he joined the Lao Issara Front, marking the beginning of his revolutionary career.

In the years that followed, he worked alongside President Kaysone Phomvihane, President Souphanouvong and other leaders of the Lao Patriotic Front, leading the struggle for national liberation, achieving victory and establishing the Lao People's Democratic Republic on December 2, 1975.

After 1975, he, alongside President Kaysone Phomvihane and other Lao leaders, continued to develop policies for each phase of the country’s development.

Notably, he contributed to the leadership of two strategic missions of safeguarding the new regime and building the nation.

On August 15, 1991, the second session of the Lao People's Supreme Congress passed the country’s first constitution and elected him as Prime Minister.

On November 24, 1992, the Central Politburo of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party elected him as Party Chairman.

As head of the Lao Government and later the highest leader of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and the President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, he directed the formulation of the country’s long-term vision, strategies and policies for development for each period in accordance with the new State management system, the market economic mechanism under State management.

His contributions included strategic visions for the country up to 2020, economic structural reforms, the decentralisation of management by sector, resolutions on human resource development and comprehensive rural development, among others.

Contributor to the Laos -VN special relationship

Then President Trần Đức Lương (left) welcomes Lao Party Chairman and President Khamtay Siphandone on an official visit to Việt Nam in 2002.— VNA/VNS File Photo Đức Tám

Alongside Vietnamese President Hồ Chí Minh, Lao President Kaysone Phomvihane, President Souphanouvong, and President Khamtay Siphandone, the leaders of both countries laid the solid foundations for the unique and enduring relationship between Việt Nam and Laos.

The deep friendship has become a model of unity and trust, immortalised in the words of President Hồ Chí Minh: “Việt Nam and Laos, our two nations/ Our bond is deeper than the water of Hồng (Red) River and the Cửu Long (Mekong) River.”

Khamtay Siphandone was the first to represent the Lao Government in 1947, meeting with Phạm Văn Đồng, permanent representative of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam in Quảng Ngãi Province, to discuss coordinating the military alliance between Laos and Việt Nam, especially the deployment of Vietnamese volunteer troops to collaborate with the Lao resistance forces in supporting the Lao resistance army, which later became the Lao People’s Army.

This move was a significant milestone that contributed to the formation of the Laos-Việt Nam combat alliance.

During the resistance and national liberation struggle, President Khamtay Siphandone worked side by side with Vietnamese military experts and volunteer troops, participating in key battles across various fronts, contributing to the shared victory of both nations in their fight against the common enemy.

In the post-war era, he continued to foster close cooperation with Việt Nam, sharing experiences, offering support and assisting in each other's development.

He was also one of the Lao leaders who always maintained close and strong relations with Vietnamese leaders, and paid due attention to nurturing, promoting and deepening the bond between the two countries.

Following his retirement in 2006, President Khamtay Siphandone remained committed to the development of Laos and the special relationship between Laos and Việt Nam.

It can be confidently stated that his tireless contributions to the protection, development and progress of Laos have played an integral role in strengthening the great friendship and cooperation between Laos and Việt Nam.

The spirit of patriotism, dedication to the nation and leadership of figures like President Khamtay Siphandone ensure that the enduring friendship between the two countries will continue to thrive for generations to come.

Việt Nam has declared a two-day national mourning period during April 4-5, to honour the memory of Khamtay Siphandone, in recognition of the special relationship between the two countries.

During this time, government offices and public institutions nationwide, along with Việt Nam's representative bodies abroad, will fly flags at half-mast with mourning bands as prescribed. Public entertainment and celebratory events will be suspended.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm was in Vientiane, leading a high-level Vietnamese Party and State delegation, to pay final respects to the late Lao leader on Thursday. 

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Thursday sent a message of condolences to his Lao counterpart Sonexay Siphandone on the passing of the latter's father Khamtay Siphandone.— VNS