"Lāo Hák Sā̂t"(Lao: ລາວຮັກຊາຕ[lāːwhák̚sâːt̚]; lit.'The Lao Patriot'), the original lyrics of the national anthem. written by Maha Phoumi Chittaphong, published in Hymnes & pavillons dʼIndochine, December 1941.
In 1893 Laos became a protectorate of France within its colonial empire. The French claimed that their annexation was to protect Laos from "hostile neighbours" such as Qing China – and especially Siam, which had been militarily forced to cede Laos to the European colonial power. In reality, France simply ruled Laos as a colony, bringing in Vietnamese to work in its governing. The transferring of control from one master to another meant that nationalist sentiment did not develop as it did in formerly independent Vietnam. The outbreak of World War II saw the fall of France to Nazi Germany. The right-wing government in Siam saw this as a possible opportunity to regain formerly Thai territory lost to France, especially the land located on the Thai side of the Mekong River. To counteract this, the French colonial government began promoting the re-emergence of Lao nationalism.[3]
Due of this liberalisation, some patriotic songs were composed, each one emphasising Lao "uniqueness".[4] The Lao National Anthem was one of them, having been composed by Thongdy Sounthonevichit in 1941,[5] with lyrics written by Maha Phoumi Chittaphong under the title "The Lao Patriot" (French: Le patriote Lao).[6] It was chosen as the national anthem in 1945,[1] when the king was forced by Japanese occupiers to declare Laos independent from French rule. France regained control of French Indochina after Japan's surrender in 1945.[3] In 1947 France granted limited autonomy to Laos within the French Union, and the Lao National Anthem was officially adopted.[7]
When the Pathet Lao emerged victorious in the Laotian Civil War in 1975, thanks to North Vietnamese assistance, the communist government abolished the monarchy and changed the lyrics to reflect the ideology of the Marxist government.[8] As a result, the National Anthem became all-encompassing and egalitarian, mentioning all ethnic groups in Laos, instead of focusing on solely the Lao people and Buddhism. The melody was retained.[9]
12Some versions use ລາວ (lāo) instead of ກ້າວ (kā̂o).
References
12"Laos". The World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
↑Hymnes et Pavillons d'Indochine (in French). Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Philosophie, histoire, sciences de l'homme, 4-LK10-918: Imprimerie d'Extrême Orient. 1941.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
↑Kutler, Stanley I., ed. (1996). "Laos". Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Retrieved 9 May 2013.(subscription required)
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!["Lao Hak Sat
"(Lao: laawksaah
[la:w hak sa:t]
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