The past year in Laos has been one of grand celebrations and anniversaries. Bookended by the region's largest sporting event, the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, at the end of 2009 and the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as capital in November 2010, the year of festivity was interspersed with a catalogue of more routine revolutionary anniversaries. As one observer joked after the Vientiane anniversary, perhaps there is a “Ministry of Celebrations” in the country. These celebrations were significant not only in their own right but also for the insights they offer into recent developments in economics, foreign relations, and politics in Laos. Hosted thanks to vast assistance from the region, the SEA Games sparked a national celebration of unparalleled scale and popularity while the 450th anniversary consolidated the royalist turn in post-socialist historiography. The commemorations took place against the backdrop of robust economic growth as the Lao economy bounced relatively unscathed through the global financial crisis, allowing the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) to present the patriotic festivities as a celebration of increasing Lao prosperity as well as pride and patriotism. The national celebrations and the economy also highlighted foreign dependencies in Laos, fuelling debates at the core of development policies. Rather than representing a takeover by China and other regional powers, however, the rushes of foreign capital appear to be consolidating power under the authoritarian LPRP regime, though authority continues to be contested within the party.

National Celebrations

The success of the SEA Games, hosted by Laos for the first time from 9 to 18 December 2009, was far from a fait accompli.3 Pre-games deals to build critical sporting infrastructure raised questions about the impact of foreign investment on Lao sovereignty — the issue of the times.4 Online critics accused Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, head of the games organizing committee and broker of a deal to grant prime land to the Chinese stadium developers, of treason (khai sat), a charge based on the perception that his Chinese heritage made him favourable to Chinese interests.