Background:
In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.

NOTE: The information regarding Laos on this page is re-published from the 2004 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Laos Introduction 2004 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Laos Introduction 2004 should be addressed to the CIA.