Laos  The country's rich cultural history is reflected in its stamps The kingdom of Laos dates to the 14th century but by the end of the 19th century France had established a colonial empire in Southeast Asia known as Indochina, including Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. When the Viet Minh went to war against the French following World War II, a home grown communist insurgency known as the Pathet Lao ("The Land of the Lao") rose up to fight the French in Laos. The Pathet Lao struggle for domination of the country coincided with the greater war being waged in Vietnam between the US and North Vietnam. When Saigon fell to communist forces in 1975, the Laotian capital Luang Prabang was not long in following suit. The communist Lao People's Revolutionary Party continue to rule the country, but, like Vietnam and China, has turned to free markets strategies in order to strengthen the Laotian economy. Embued with color and texture, the stamps issued by the Kingdom of Laos certainly qualify as among the most beautiful stamps ever designed.           Return to Stamp Whys A work of art in miniature, this Laotian stamp from 1960 shows a Buddhist monk ministering to the needs of villagers. (Scott C38)       This temple dancer making a ritual prayer reminds us of a Laos rich in Buddhist and Hindu tradition. Issued in 1971. (Scott 225)

Do you have a question about History, Mystery, or Stamps? Ask Frederick! Dr. Highland's StampWhys feature, now in its second year, appears the first of the month in Linn's Stamps News.

The Mystery Box book is a proud winner of a Silver Medal awarded by the Chicago Philatelic Society CHICAGOPEX Literature Exhibition. Website and All Contents Copyright (c) 1997-2007 Ana Libri Press

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