From 1953 onward the royal government waged war with the Pathet Lao, whose flag was blue with a white disk and red borders at the top and bottom.

From 1973 to 1975, the Pathet Lao formed part of the government coalition, before assuming power directly and prompting the abdication of the king.

As a member of the Lao Issara movement, he was tasked with creating a new Lao national flag that was to be distinct from the royalist red flag with the white three-headed elephant, representing the Japanese puppet state of Luang Prabang.

[1] From 1952 until the fall of the royal government in 1975, the country had a red flag, with a white three-headed elephant (representing the Hindu god Erawan) in the middle.

The white elephant is a common royal symbol in Southeast Asia, especially in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.

[2] The nine-folded umbrella is also a royal symbol, originating from Mount Meru in Buddhist cosmology.