Flag of Laos
thung duang duan ("moon flag")
A red stripe at the top and bottom and a wide dark blue stripe in the middle, with a large white disc in the centre.
At a glance
- Adopted
- December 2, 1975designed in 1945 for the Lao Issara independence movement; became the national flag when the Lao People's Democratic Republic was founded in 1975
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Vientiane
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- red
- dark blue
- white
What it means
- White disc: the unity of the Lao people; it is also said to be a full moon rising over the Mekong River
- Red stripes: the blood shed in the fight for independence
- Blue stripe: the Mekong River and the country's prosperity
Where it came from
The flag was designed in 1945 by Maha Sila Viravong, a scholar of Lao literature and history, for the Lao Issara (Free Lao) independence movement. He was asked for a flag different from the royal flag with its white elephant, and he took ideas from Thailand's red, white and blue flag of 1917.
In October 1945 the Lao Issara government chose it as the national flag, and it was used until France took back control in 1946.
History
The Kingdom of Laos used a red flag with a white three-headed elephant under a nine-tiered umbrella until 1975.
The communist Pathet Lao, who saw themselves as the heirs of Lao Issara, kept using the moon flag. When they took power and founded the Lao People's Democratic Republic on 2 December 1975, it became the national flag.
Fun facts
- Its name in Lao means "moon flag".
- Laos is led by a communist party, but unlike the flags of China, Vietnam and Cuba, its flag has no star.
- The white disc is four-fifths as tall as the blue stripe.
- The old royal elephant flag is still used by some Lao groups living abroad.
Easy to mix up with
Cambodia
Mongolia
ThailandQuestions
What does the flag of Laos look like?
A red stripe at the top and bottom and a wide dark blue stripe in the middle, with a large white disc in the centre.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Laos mean?
White disc: the unity of the Lao people; it is also said to be a full moon rising over the Mekong River; Red stripes: the blood shed in the fight for independence; Blue stripe: the Mekong River and the country's prosperity.
When was the flag of Laos adopted?
The current flag of Laos was adopted on December 2, 1975. (designed in 1945 for the Lao Issara independence movement; became the national flag when the Lao People's Democratic Republic was founded in 1975)
What colours are on the flag of Laos?
The flag of Laos uses red, dark blue and white.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Laos?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Cambodia. Cambodia has the colours the other way round, blue-red-blue, with a temple in the middle
Famous landmarks in Laos
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)