Emblem of Laos

The National Emblem of the Lao People's Democratic Republic shows the national shrine Pha That Luang. A dam is pictured, which is a symbol of power generation at the reservoir Nam Ngum. An asphalt street and a stylized watered field is pictured. In the lower part is a section of a gear wheel. The inscription on the left reads "Peace, Independence, Democracy" and on the right, "Unity and Prosperity".

History

An example of socialist heraldry, the coat of arms was originally adopted in 1975. It was modified in August 1991 to deemphasize Communism as a reaction to the fall of the Soviet Union, at which time the red star and hammer and sickle were replaced with the national shrine at Pha That Luang. A description of the coat of arms is specified in the Laotian constitution: