North Vietnamese invasion of Laos

North Vietnamese invasion of the Kingdom of Laos
Part of the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War
Date 1958–1959 Location Kingdom of Laos Result North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao victory Beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail Start of the Local War Phase Start of the Laotian Civil War
Belligerents
Laos	North Vietnam Pathet Lao

Part of a series on the
History of Laos
Muang city-states era
Muang Sua 698–1353
Lan Xang era
Lan Xang 1353–1707
Regional kingdoms era
Kingdom of Vientiane 1707–1828 Kingdom of Luang Phrabang 1707–1893 Muang Phuan 1707–1899 Kingdom of Champasak 1713–1904
Colonial era
Lao rebellion 1826–1828 Haw wars 1865–1890 Franco-Siamese crisis 1893 French Protectorate of Laos 1893–1953 Franco-Thai War 1940–1941 Japanese puppet state 1945 Free Lao Movement (Lao Issara) 1945–1949
Independent era
Kingdom of Laos 1946–1975 Laotian Civil War 1953–1975 North Vietnamese invasion of Laos 1958–1959 Anti-Communist Insurgency 1975–2007 Lao People's Democratic Republic 1975–1991 Laos after Soviet dominance 1991–present
See also
History of Laos History of Isan
v t e

North Vietnam supported the Pathet Lao to fight against the Kingdom of Laos between 1958 and 1959. Control over Laos allowed for the eventual construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail that would serve as the main supply route for enhanced NLF (the National Liberation Front, the Viet Cong) and NVA (North Vietnamese Army) activities in the Republic of Vietnam. As such, the support for Pathet Lao to fight against Kingdom of Laos by North Vietnam would prove decisive in the eventual communist victory over South Vietnam in 1975 as the South Vietnamese and American forces could have prevented any NVA and NLF deployment and resupply if these only happened over the 17th Parallel, also known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a narrow strip of land between North and South Vietnam that was closely guarded by both sides. It also helped the Pathet Lao win against the Kingdom of Laos, even though the Kingdom of Laos had American support.