{"title":"Laos","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"laos-p-42-dictator-100000-kip-2011-vf-very-fine-plus-communist-phomvihane","title":"Laos P-42 DICTATOR 100000 kip 2011 VF+ Very Fine Plus—communist—Phomvihane","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou will receive a banknote in the design indicated in \u003cstrong\u003eVery Fine Plus condition: circulated with some minor folds and signs of wear but whites still bright \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFront\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDictator of Laos Kaysone Phomvihane\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWat That Luang \u003cstrong\u003estupa\u003c\/strong\u003e in Vientiane (\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"11\" data-start=\"2\"\u003estupa\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"38\" data-start=\"17\"\u003eBuddhist monument\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e that holds holy remains or sacred objects and is used as a place for meditation and pilgrimage)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoat of arms\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBack\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cspan\u003eKaysone Phomvihane \u003cstrong\u003eMuseum\u003c\/strong\u003e with \u003cstrong\u003estatue\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSecurity thread\u003c\/strong\u003e: holographic, printed with demetalized Lao denomination\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ck-content\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark\u003c\/strong\u003e: Kaysone Phomvihane\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ck-content\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ck-content\"\u003eSource: Numista\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ck-content\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ck-content\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"120\" data-start=\"0\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"34\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eKaysone Phomvihane (1920–1992)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-end=\"37\" data-start=\"34\"\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"120\" data-start=\"37\"\u003eRevolutionary founder and one-party ruler of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"521\" data-start=\"122\"\u003eBorn in 1920 in Savannakhet, on the great Mekong artery, Kaysone Phomvihane grew up where three worlds pressed against each other like tectonic plates: French colonial administration, Vietnamese revolutionary networks, and an ancient Buddhist monarchy rooted in village life. Trained in law in Hanoi, he absorbed Marxism-Leninism not as a slogan but as a disciplined system for reorganizing society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"936\" data-start=\"523\"\u003eDuring the wars that followed the collapse of European empire, he became the principal architect and commander of the \u003cstrong data-end=\"655\" data-start=\"641\"\u003ePathet Lao\u003c\/strong\u003e, the communist movement that fought first the French, then the royal government and its foreign backers. For three decades he built a tight, Vietnamese-aligned cadre structure in the mountains and forests, turning a rural guerrilla force into a party-army capable of taking power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1501\" data-start=\"938\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom \u003c\/span\u003eabout 1964 to 1973\u003cspan\u003e, the \u003cstrong\u003eUnited States \u003c\/strong\u003emilitary carried out \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"1295\" data-start=\"1258\"\u003etens of thousands of bombing runs\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, dropping \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"1348\" data-start=\"1306\"\u003emore than two million tons \u003c\/strong\u003eof ordnance\u003cspan\u003e — \u003cstrong\u003emore than was dropped on Germany and Japan combined \u003c\/strong\u003ein World War II — making Laos, per capita, one of the\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003emost heavily bombed countries in history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1501\" data-start=\"938\"\u003eIn 1975, as the monarchy quietly disappeared, Kaysone emerged as the central figure of the new order. The \u003cstrong data-end=\"1080\" data-start=\"1044\"\u003eLao People’s Democratic Republic\u003c\/strong\u003e was proclaimed, and he became first Prime Minister, later President. From that moment, he ruled as a \u003cstrong data-end=\"1225\" data-start=\"1182\"\u003edictator in the literal political sense\u003c\/strong\u003e: a one-party state, no legal opposition, no free press, no competitive elections, and security services that ran re-education camps for former officials, officers, intellectuals, and suspected dissenters. Power was monopolized by the Party, and the Party revolved around him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1921\" data-start=\"1503\"\u003eYet his dictatorship was not built on theatrical terror or personal cult. Kaysone governed in a style that was austere, bureaucratic, and paternal. He sincerely believed socialism was the only path to rescue a war-ravaged, impoverished, multi-ethnic land from fragmentation and dependency. In his own mind, he was not a tyrant but a \u003cstrong data-end=\"1860\" data-start=\"1836\"\u003ehistorical custodian\u003c\/strong\u003e, imposing discipline so that a fragile nation could survive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1984\" data-start=\"1923\"\u003eDid his rule make people better off? Partially—and at a cost.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2016\" data-start=\"1986\"\u003eUnder him, the country gained:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul data-end=\"2200\" data-start=\"2017\"\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"2098\" data-start=\"2017\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2098\" data-start=\"2019\"\u003ePolitical stability after one of the most \u003cstrong\u003eheavily bombed \u003c\/strong\u003econflicts in history\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"2141\" data-start=\"2099\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2141\" data-start=\"2101\"\u003eExpanded literacy and basic healthcare\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"2200\" data-start=\"2142\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2200\" data-start=\"2144\"\u003eA unified state apparatus over dozens of ethnic groups\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2222\" data-start=\"2202\"\u003eBut it also endured:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul data-end=\"2451\" data-start=\"2223\"\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"2272\" data-start=\"2223\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2272\" data-start=\"2225\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRe-education camps \u003c\/strong\u003eand political imprisonment\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"2321\" data-start=\"2273\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2321\" data-start=\"2275\"\u003eMass \u003cstrong\u003eexile of the old elite \u003c\/strong\u003eand middle class\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"2388\" data-start=\"2322\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2388\" data-start=\"2324\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRigid\u003c\/strong\u003e socialist planning that kept the \u003cstrong\u003eeconomy poor \u003c\/strong\u003eand closed\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"2451\" data-start=\"2389\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2451\" data-start=\"2391\"\u003eA frozen political life in which \u003cstrong\u003efear replaced open speech\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2691\" data-start=\"2453\"\u003eHe was \u003cstrong\u003enot a mass-murdering despot\u003c\/strong\u003e in the mold of the twentieth century’s worst, but neither was he a gentle reformer. He was a \u003cstrong data-end=\"2607\" data-start=\"2581\"\u003eLeninist state-builder\u003c\/strong\u003e, convinced that unity and ideological order \u003cstrong\u003ejustified the suppression of pluralism\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"3053\" data-start=\"2693\"\u003eOn banknotes and monuments he appears calm, bespectacled, almost professorial. The image is telling. Kaysone Phomvihane was a \u003cstrong\u003edictator\u003c\/strong\u003e, unquestionably—but a \u003cstrong\u003equiet\u003c\/strong\u003e one: a man who transformed peasant revolution into permanent one-party rule, who believed himself \u003cstrong\u003ebenevolent\u003c\/strong\u003e, and who inscribed the logic of the \u003cstrong\u003eCold War \u003c\/strong\u003edeep into the \u003cstrong\u003epolitical DNA \u003c\/strong\u003eof his country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHis spirit \u003c\/strong\u003efeels like \u003cstrong\u003ecompressed gravity rather than flame \u003c\/strong\u003e— a man who carried the weight of history so long that it \u003cstrong\u003ebent inward and became silence\u003c\/strong\u003e. Not a visionary mystic, not a blood-drunk conqueror, but a \u003cstrong\u003esomber architect of inevitability\u003c\/strong\u003e, convinced that suffering could be made orderly, that chaos could be disciplined into meaning. One senses in him the loneliness of those who believe they are instruments of necessity: a calm surface, a closed horizon, and beneath it the \u003cstrong\u003eunspoken sorrow \u003c\/strong\u003eof knowing that \u003cstrong\u003eto build a state, one must first harden the heart.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51633665999159,"sku":"LA42VFPLUS","price":8.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/42o.jpg?v=1769697441"},{"product_id":"laos-p-41-2000-kip-2011-u","title":"Laos P-41 2000 Kip 2011 UNC—Communist \"Dad\"—UNESCO Heritage—Hydroelectric","description":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVariety:\u003c\/strong\u003e Only one variety\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blue and green\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePortrait of \u003cstrong\u003eKaysone Phomvihane, \"father\" of Communist Laos\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eXieng Thong Temple\u003c\/strong\u003e (Wat Xieng Thong), Luang Prabang\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNational \u003cstrong\u003eCoat of Arms\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeset 2 Hydroelectric Dam\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSecurity Features:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kaysone Phomvihane with electrotype design\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSecurity Thread:\u003c\/strong\u003e Solid demetalized thread with Lao text\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUV Activity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSerial Number Prefix:\u003c\/strong\u003e AA (replacement notes)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lao PDR Kip (LAK), 1979–date\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2000 Kip\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 141 × 65 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bank of the Lao PDR\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCountry:\u003c\/strong\u003e Laos — French Indochina (colonial era–1953); Kingdom of Laos (1953–1975); Lao People’s Democratic Republic (1975–present)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eKaysone Phomvihane (KAY-sawn pom-vee-HAHN)\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Father of Communist Laos\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKaysone Phomvihane \u003c\/strong\u003e(1920–1992) is the founding figure of the \u003cstrong\u003eLao People’s Democratic Republic \u003c\/strong\u003e— the communist state established in December 1975 after the Pathet Lao movement, backed by North Vietnam, overthrew the Royal Lao Government and abolished the 600-year-old monarchy. Born to a Lao mother and Vietnamese father, Kaysone studied law in Hanoi before joining the Indochinese Communist Party in the 1940s and dedicating his life to revolutionary politics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe served as Prime Minister from 1975 until 1991, and then as President until his death in 1992 — effectively leading Laos through its most transformative and difficult decades: the consolidation of \u003cstrong\u003eone-party rule, the exodus of much of the educated class, the isolation of the Cold War years, and the cautious economic opening of the late 1980s \u003c\/strong\u003eknown as the \u003cem\u003eChinthanakan Mai\u003c\/em\u003e (New Thinking). His image on Lao currency is ubiquitous — the Lao equivalent of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam or Mao in China — a permanent fixture of the state’s visual identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWat Xieng Thong, Temple of the Golden City\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWat Xieng Thong\u003c\/strong\u003e — the Temple of the Golden City — is the most celebrated Buddhist temple in \u003cstrong\u003eLuang Prabang,\u003c\/strong\u003e the ancient royal capital of Laos and a \u003cstrong\u003eUNESCO World Heritage city.\u003c\/strong\u003e Built in 1560 by King Setthathirath, it served as the royal temple of the Lane Xang kingdom and remained closely associated with Lao royalty until the monarchy’s abolition in 1975. Its sweeping, multi-tiered roof — characteristic of Lao temple architecture — sweeps low to the ground in a gesture of elegant humility, and its walls are adorned with intricate glass mosaics depicting scenes from Buddhist cosmology and Lao mythology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts presence on this note — issued by a communist government that abolished the monarchy Xieng Thong once served — reflects the Lao state’s pragmatic embrace of Buddhist heritage as a pillar of national identity, even as it dismantled the political structures that heritage once supported.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Seset 2 Hydroelectric Dam\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Battery of Southeast Asia\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse features the \u003cstrong\u003eSeset 2 Hydroelectric Dam\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of many dams built on Laos’s rivers as part of the country’s ambitious strategy to become the “battery of Southeast Asia” — exporting hydroelectric power to Thailand, Vietnam, and China. Laos has more rivers per capita than almost any country on earth, and hydropower has become the cornerstone of its development model, generating the majority of government revenue and foreign exchange.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe strategy is not without controversy: large dams have displaced tens of thousands of people, altered river ecosystems, and raised concerns about Laos’s dependence on Chinese investment and debt. But for the Lao government, the dam on this banknote is a symbol of modernity, sovereignty, and economic ambition — a nation harnessing its geography to power its future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Final Reflection: The Quiet Country\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaos is one of the least-visited and least-understood countries in Southeast Asia — landlocked, sparsely populated, and still governed by the same party that took power in 1975. It is also one of the most heavily bombed countries in history: during the Vietnam War, the United States dropped more ordnance on Laos than was dropped on all of Europe during World War II, much of it still unexploded in the soil today. This 2000 Kip note, with its temple, its revolutionary leader, and its dam, offers a quiet portrait of a country navigating the distance between its ancient Buddhist heritage and its communist present — and doing so largely out of the world’s sight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the collector, it is an affordable and visually striking entry point into one of numismatics’ most overlooked corners.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLao numbers\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e0 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໐\u003c\/span\u003e, 1 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໑\u003c\/span\u003e, 2 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໒\u003c\/span\u003e, 3 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໓\u003c\/span\u003e, 4 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໔\u003c\/span\u003e, 5 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໕\u003c\/span\u003e, 6 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໖\u003c\/span\u003e, 7 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໗\u003c\/span\u003e, 8 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໘\u003c\/span\u003e, 9 = \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 3em;\"\u003e໙\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51799014736183,"sku":"LA41U","price":1.09,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/41o_3186802e-329d-4d54-9270-42a83d0fb372.jpg?v=1774399245"}],"url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/collections\/laos-1.oembed","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}