Laos Flag

Description

The Laos flag is available from Flags Online in full-size and desk formats, printed on both sides and made to last outdoors.

About the Laos Flag

The Laos flag is a horizontal design of blue, red and blue, with a white circle centred on the wide blue band. It was adopted on 2 December 1975, the day the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was proclaimed, and it replaced the flag used under the Kingdom of Laos, which had shown a three-headed white elephant beneath a parasol on a red field.

Colours and Symbolism

On the Laos flag, the central blue band stands for the wealth of the nation and the promise of prosperity, while the narrower red bands at the top and bottom represent the blood shed by the Lao people in their struggle for independence. The white disc at the centre is usually explained as the full moon rising over the Mekong River, the waterway that runs the length of the country and has shaped Lao life for centuries. It is also read more broadly as a symbol of unity among the Lao people and of hope for the future under the new republic.

History of the Laos Flag

The design was not invented in 1975. It had already been used from the 1950s by the Pathet Lao, the communist movement that eventually took power, and by the Lao Issara independence movement before that, so its adoption as the national flag confirmed a symbol that had circulated for decades rather than introduced something entirely new. The new Laos flag formally replaced the red flag with the three-headed elephant, a royal symbol tied to the old Kingdom of Laos and the three historical Lao principalities the elephant’s heads were said to represent. The change in flag mirrored the change in government, moving the national symbol away from monarchy and toward the new one-party state.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

The Laos flag is flown outside government offices, schools and at border crossings throughout the country, and it appears alongside the flag of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party at many official events. National Day on 2 December, marking the founding of the republic, is the occasion when the flag is most widely displayed in public spaces. As with other national flags, it should be hung with the blue band and moon the right way up, and kept clean and undamaged when flown outdoors for extended periods.

Laos Flag Sizes and Pricing

• 180 x 120cm — R860
• 22 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R800
• 10 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R650
• 90 x 60cm — R400

Material and Construction

Made from 100% polyester bunting material and digitally printed on both sides. Hemmed all around with two rows of stitching and finished with a polyester webbing heading. Rope and toggle for hoisting included.

Supplied in packs of 10. Printed on both sides onto polyester and supplied with a black plastic stick and removable base — take the base off and it doubles as a hand waving flag.

Ordering and Delivery

Every Laos flag is printed to order and dispatched from our Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Johannesburg branches, with courier delivery nationwide. Bulk and school orders are welcome — contact us for volume pricing on quantities of 10 or more.

Order Lead Times

Almost everything we make is freshly printed and made to order, just for you! So please allow 3–5 working days for us to prepare your order before it heads out the door. We’ll always try to get it to you sooner where we can. Some fast movers, like South African flags, ship quicker as they’re often in stock.

One quick thing to keep in mind: the “next working day” you see on your order confirmation is the courier’s delivery time from the day we dispatch — not from the day you place your order. So it’s really 3–5 days to prepare + next-day delivery.

Good things are worth the wait — we’re excited to get your order into your hands.

Additional information