A Short History Of Laos: The Land In Between

A Short History of Asia

by Grant Evans, Milton E. Osborne (Editor)

This comprehensive and vivid history of Laos is an ideal introduction for tourists, business travelers, and students. Informative and portable, it chronicles the history of Laos from ancient times, when the dynastic states of the region waxed and waned, to the turmoil of the Vietnam War and independence from France. This guide investigates these key events under a new light and presents serious challenges to the conventional views about Laos’s intriguing history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Asia, Travel

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, in my quest to read a history of every country in the world, I arrive at a region about which I know absolutely nothing about, so that might color my review of histories of the region, me not knowin' fuck-all.
I'm not sure why I picked Laos first, maybe I'm just a clock-wise thinking jackass. That's beside the point. Laos is fascinating, more than you'd think for one of those odd, way-artificial political artifices that idiotic European colonial regimes made up on the spot. Evans makes a readable account, bringing in the wacky idea of the "mandala" as political institution to outline the early history of the peninsular states. He gets into the zany ethnic mix of what was to be Laos, the phu nyai, and all that. What's striking about Laos is how chronically weak and tossed-about it has been, treated as a stomping ground and launchpad for Vietnam during the war, criss-crossed by American iniquity for decades (Evans' one weak point is his weird hesitancy in assigning American blame where needed and, I thought, obvious), and the view of Laos by Thais as a kind of backwards ancestral land, the same way latte-chugging white middle class people think of historically-oppressed parts of the British Isles as locales in which tartaned, full-figured men and women bound about the landscape sipping Guiness and frolicking at swordpoint with badly-imagined mythological creatures when in fact, should a white middle class American ever endeavor to journey into the heart of darkness of their Anglo forebears, they'd probably get mugged or, at the least, squinted at strangely.
Anyway, this is a good book about poor Laos, whose centrality in the region is its very impotence. On to Vietnam!

[Jeff Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to an upcoming trip to Laos, I wanted to read up on the history of the country. There appear to be available only two modern books on the history of this land-locked country. This book and one by Martin Stuart-Fox. Evans book was readily available used so therefore I ordered it. It did a fine job spanning the thousand plus years of the region now known as Laos. The writing is perhaps not the most scintillating but it was generally clear and to the point. There really is nothing wacky or zany about this history of Laos despite with another reviewer has written here on goodreads. The Mandala concept of the growth of kingdoms large and small in southeast Asia is neither new nor first postulated in this book. The author's handling of the political factions left and right, communist and capitalist, American and Vietnamese etc., is fairly neutral. He does make some assessments and draw some conclusions which often are not backed up by footnotes, though he does have a pretty good reference section at the back of the book with some seemingly standard classics in Laotian history and politics. I don't really know Evans' background but he does appear to know what he's writing about. Some of this I've been able to double check via online sources. Perhaps the greatest downside to this book is that it ends essentially in the year 2000 so we have another 17 years of Laotian development that are missing. This of course this can be supplemented and has been in my readings via online sources again. If you want to dip into the history of Laos this book could certainly take you there.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are so few books on Laos, that I really didn't want to give this three stars. This book was not very readable, maybe if I had prior knowlege of the history of the region? The book was disjointed and confusing; however, I hope to read more on Laos.

[Jason Friedlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone looking for a book to read about the history of Laos, and like me, was confused about the existence of two similarly titled (A History of Laos by Martin Stuart-Fox) books about it, this is to say that I’ve read both, one is not shorter than the other, they’re both worth reading. They not only have different approaches to Lao history but also come to radically different conclusions about what is most important to highlight in order to better shape the future of the nation. Neither feels like a definitive history of the country, they’re both written very aware of their places as starting points for separate ongoing projects of history-making.

Stuart-Fox’s is a drier and more top-level history of the changes in the politics and government of the lands now called Laos, while Evans’ is more engaging to read, but can often feel too prescriptive in its analyses and conclusions. Bias is always present of course in all history writing and can’t be removed, but the presentation of facts seems more direct in Stuart-Fox’s work. Ultimately they’re both riven with personal agendas for remaking Laos or at least our understanding of what Laos was and could be.

I wish I could recommend one over the other, but they’re both worth reading. I’m sure there’s a better book lying somewhere in some historian’s mind and I hope that gets written soon.

[Gregg Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife and I recently traveled to Laos for the first time. I had previously lived in Cambodia for a few years and didn’t know too much about this “mysterious neighbor to the north.” I found Laos to be a beautiful land culturally and geographically.

Returning home I wanted to learn more about Laos and the forces that made it into the nation it is today. This book was a great introduction to the fascinating development of the modern Lao People’s Democratic Republic. It traces the ancient kingdoms and goes through the French era, the Royal Lao Government and civil war. The author highlights how French colonialism was a-typical in many ways and more complex than the simple oppression narrative we so often hear today. He traces the powerful influences of neighboring countries, especially the Thai and Vietnamese.

I really enjoyed this book and found it very readable and full of interesting facts and analysis. It also highlights important events and influences in the many ethnic communities like the Hmong, Khamu, etc. A very worthwhile read.

[Stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I don't often review the non-fiction books I read, I thought this one was worth it. It is takes a quick stroll through "ancient" history o Laos, then concetrates on the ast fifty years ar so. The author does a great job of giving context for the happenings in Laos over this period. While not a long book (about 250 pages), it packs a lot of information and is a very pleasant read. while focussing on Laos, it gives a lot of info on SE Asia in genera. especially countries involved in the Vietnam war.
For history buffs, a very nice read.

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straightforward, it does what it sets out to do, which is to present a short story of Laos. I could have used a few short bios of the main actors involved as at times I got a bit lost.
But it also clarified a lot of things and I am glad it exists, as there is little to no material about the country.
Surprisingly, it is available in Laos, in spite of it not being particularly kind to the communist rule.

[Chris Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the subject fascinating. The book is mainly a summary and reaction to other historical analyses of Laos. The first section on the early kingdoms is a bit hard to follow, but generally the book is good and clear. It's a bit old now, with the last section on prospective plans being a bit out of date but as a primer for the history of this often overlooked country I would recommend it.

[Dhawal Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I travelled Laos as a backpacker in 2019. It is a beautiful unexplored country and while visiting the places I was always intrigued about the history of this largely forgotten country.

This book certainly helped me in getting that perspective and elevated the significance of the places I visited. Certainly recommended to fellow travellers and students of South East Asia.

[Ian Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic.

[Pam Ela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short History of Laos which is verry complicated.

[Ounheuane Paditsone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and picturesque.

[MsSwisis · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘They had been contaminated by the local indolence; they just let their life go; all they asked for was a clear sky, tasty fruit, fresh drinks and easy women.’

[Chulachat Kanjana-oransiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is easy to read and offers a quick yet comprehensive history of Laos. It is recommended for anyone who needs to go working in Laos or wants to understand Laos better.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty hard to follow until the modern period.

[Stephanie Guyer-Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more time I spend in southeast Asia the more I begin to understand the long and meandering history of the place, but my American brain is slow at getting it all. Understanding Laos and the people that live there has been a particular challenge for me. Grant Evans is great, the book is readable, and slowly I'm beginning to understand this little spot on the earth.

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evans traces the origins of one of the lesser known S E Asian countries, from the beginnings before Laos became Laos from the Lan Xang period and the spread of Buddhism through to the French colonisation from the 1890s, (who went onto map the country and tax it). He covers the RLG (Royal Laos Government) era and then through to the 1950s with the US and the CIA politically motivated aid assistance (always a kiss of death) and its disastrous consequences. We learn of how Laos had a thriving opium trade but the US ensured they outlawed it in the early 70s. He explains the significance of the Kong Le coup in 1960 and how this set off a series of battles and assassinations and the Americans left the mess and this resulted in the eventual triumph of Communism in 1975 and the subsequent mass exodus that triggered. In the following years the rulers began sending thousands out to re-education camps. Although not on the same horrific scale as Khmer Rouge in neighbouring Cambodia, apparently between 10- 40’ 000 people were imprisoned in these places and around 10-15’ 000 people spent at least a decade trapped in there.

Evans also talks about the attempted ethnic cleansing of the Hmong people and the constant wax and wane of revolutions, political turmoil and issues of nationalism and identity that shaped the country for better or worse. The country’s vulnerability has often seen it exploited by many bigger nations and its location has seen it suffer greatly due to the Vietnam War. I admit this was a little dry and dull in the initial stages but this is actually a fairly interesting read and what was the most interesting to me was the revelation concerning the re-education camps in Laos. I have visited the country a couple of times and travelled through much of it and I’d never heard about these before and it’s a subject I’m very keen to read more about.