Choummaly Sayasone
A lifelong soldier and party stalwart who presided over Laos's cautious economic opening while maintaining its strict one-party communist system.
Born 1936 (age 90)·Laotian politician·Birthday: March 6·The Silent Generation
Biography
Choummaly Sayasone's life has been inextricably linked to the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, which he joined as a young man fighting in the revolutionary struggle. His career was built within the military and party apparatus, where loyalty and discretion were paramount. Rising through the ranks of the Lao People's Army, he eventually became its commander-in-chief, a position that solidified his power base. When he succeeded Khamtai Siphandon as state president and party chief in 2006, it signaled a continuation rather than a change. His decade at the helm saw Laos deepen its economic ties with neighbors like Vietnam and China, and formally join the World Trade Organization. His rule was characterized by stability and incremental development, but also by the firm suppression of dissent, maintaining the country's isolation from democratic movements.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Choummaly was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Choummaly Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Choummaly's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Age 90 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party from 2006 to 2016, the country's most powerful position.
- Acted as President of Laos from 2006 to 2016, serving as head of state.
- Oversaw Laos's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2013.
- Presided over a period of significant GDP growth driven by foreign investment in hydropower and mining.
Did You Know?
He was the first LPRP General Secretary to have been born after the founding of the party.
His military rank is Lieutenant General.
He is an ethnic Lao Loum, the majority ethnic group in Laos.
During his presidency, Laos hosted the 2009 Southeast Asian Games.
“We must safeguard our national independence and build a self-sufficient economy.”
