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The relationship of Laos and Vietnam is influenced significantly by communism and the war between Vietnam and United States of America. The influence of Vietnam on Laos can be witnessed from 1975 when Vietnam emerged victorious in the war with United States. This made Vietnam very powerful and this country began to influence the other neighboring countries. Communism made its entry into the country of Laos with Vietnam and the individual influence of Vietnam was equally felt. The amity between the communist leaders of both these countries during the days of the revolution is the reason why the initial and wide influence over Laos was possible by Vietnam. The foreign policy of Laos also witnessed considerable changes due to this reason. However in recent times the influence of Vietnam has decreased and even the impact of communism is also reduced. The reasons behind this influence can also be attributed to the historical similarity and geographical proximity.
The Vietnam Laos relationship took a significant turn due to the soaring ambition of few of the Vietnamese leaders who aspired to build an ‘Indochina Federation’ which depicted neo-colonialism. But this ambition remained unrealized and the Vietnamese troops from the land of Laos were withdrawn in 1989. This independence of Laos had a positive effect on the country’s economy and it went even ahead of Vietnam due to the ‘New Economic Mechanism’. The influence of United States and other western countries became very obvious after the end of Vietnamese rule which also helped in the development process.
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