I'm using a traditional spelling of Laos. The "s" was put on by the French when they were occupying Southeast Asia, and "Lao" is how it's pronounced locally. The ending-"s", like in any a good French word, is silent. Lao also how they pronounce their language and a person from their country (as opposed to "Laotian").
In any case, the Lao flag is the only socialist flag that currently doesn't use a five-pointed star. The red and blue, while symbolizing the usual (fraternity, liberty), are remarkably close in hue to the current flag of Cambodia. Adopted in the sixties, this is the first Lao flag to not have a representation of elephants on it. The land, centuries ago, was known as "The Land of a Million Elephants."
With the Cambodian flag, the red and blue are switched, and instead of the sun in the center, it's Angkor Wat. Unlike the Lao flag that forsake their traditional symbol (the elephant), the Cambodians retained the image of Angkor Wat,which has adorned almost every flag used dating back to before the French Occupation. Not even the Khmer Rouge tampered with that.
There's something tranquil for me in these two flags, and I think it's simply the shades of blue and red they employ.
Also seeing Angkor Wat on a flag (a building!) is pretty cool.
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