Vientiane Agreement

The Vientiane Agreement, signed in February 1973, was a peace accord in Laos. It called for a cease-fire and the formation of a coalition government composed of left-wing Pathet Lao and right-wing factions, with Prince Souvanna Phouma presiding. This agreement followed a broader peace accord negotiated in Paris between the United States and North Vietnam. The Vientiane Agreement brought peace to Laos, unlike other countries in mainland Southeast Asia at the time. As communist influence grew in Vietnam, the Pathet Lao gained political ascendancy in Laos, leading to a bloodless takeover by the Laotian communists in mid-1975 and the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.1