Bounthong Chitmany

Bounthong Chitmany is a Laotian politician who has been the Vice President of Laos alongside Pany Yathotou since 2021. He was Deputy Prime Minister from 2016 to 2021. A veteran of the Laotian Civil War and a member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party since 1968, he is a member of the party's central committee and was chair of the 10th Inspection Commission of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

Early life

Bounthong Chitmany was born in Bokeo province, French Protectorate of Laos, on 3 July 1949. He is a member of the Lamet people.

Chitmany started fighting in the Laotian Civil War on 9 September 1965, and joined the Lao People's Revolutionary Party on 14 May 1968. He was a member of the LPRP's central committee for its 9th and 10th sessions.
The 8th Government of Laos Chitmany was elected Deputy Prime Minister on 20 April 2016. On 22 March 2021, Chitmany was elected Vice President of Laos alongside Pany Yathotou, the first time that two people served as vice president in Laotian history. In 2024, he was a member of a state delegation to Cuba and led discussions with Roberto Morales Ojeda. He led a delegation to the funeral of Nguyễn Phú Trọng, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, on 26 July 2024.
An investigation into the collapse of a dam at the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower installation was chaired by Chitmany in 2018. He was chair of the 10th Inspection Commission of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.