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==History==
[[File:HYMNES et PAVILLONS DʼINDOCHINE 1941 Leaders flags anthems of French Indochina WW2 Vichy France 52 LUANG-PRABANG Le Patriote Lao Hymne national Laotien Thong Dy 03 - IDEO. Hanoi Unidentified author designer No know copyright.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''"Lao Hak Xat"'' or ''"the patriotic Laos"'' ({{lang-lo|ລາວຮັກຊາຕ}}, {{lang-fr|Le Patriote Lao}}), the original lyrics of ''Pheng Xat Lao'' wirtten by Maha Phoumi, published in ''Hymnes & pavillons dʼIndochine'', December 1941.]]
Long a tributary state of [[Thailand|Siam]], in 1893 Laos became a [[French protectorate of Laos|protectorate]] of [[France]] within [[French colonial empire|its colonial empire]]. The French claimed their annexation was to protect Laos from "hostile neighbors" such as [[Qing dynasty|China]] and especially Siam, which had been militarily forced to cede Laos to the European colonial power. In reality, France simply ruled Laos as a colony, even bringing in many Vietnamese to work in its governing. The transferring of control from one master to another meant that nationalist sentiment did not develop as it did in formerly independent Vietnam. However, the outbreak of the [[World War II|Second World War]] soon saw the [[Battle of France|fall of France]] to [[Nazi Germany]]. The new right-wing government in Siam saw this as a possible opportunity to regain formerly Thai territory lost to France, especially the land located on the Thai side of the Mekong River. To counteract this, the French colonial government began promoting Lao nationalism.<ref name=LP>{{cite web|title=History of Laos|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/laos/history|access-date=May 8, 2013|publisher=Lonely Planet}}</ref>
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