French Military cemetery, Vientiane

In 1945-46, after the Japanese defeat, the French came back to Laos.

But as soon as 1952, the communist Pathet Lao had secured a strong position in north-east Laos, and with heavy support from Vietnamese troops, launched a general offensive aimed at capturing Sam Neua Province, together with parts of Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang.

Sam Neua fell on the 13th April 1953. Luang Prabang was besieged, and the offensive pushed on into the south and east.

By the end of the year, the towns of Tha Khek (which fell on 24th December) and Savannakhet were encircled, as was the French air-land base at Seno. RC 9 was cut, and Attapu Province was captured, together with the Boloven Plateau.

When the French were defeated in Dien Bien Phu (1954) and pulled out of Indochina, the Pathet Lao was in control of a large part of Laos.

The Vientiane French military cemetery gathers 552 bodies of French soldiers killed during this unknown war.