Program and Event

The U.S. Embassy Celebrates 232 Years of Independence

U.S. Ambassador to Laos Ravic R. Huso (center) cuts the cake with His Excellency Cheuang Sombounkhanh, Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister (left), and His Excellency Hiem Phommachanh, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (right).

On the evening of July 3, U.S. Ambassador to Laos Ravic R. Huso welcomed His Excellency Cheuang Sombounkhanh, Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister, His Excellency Hiem Phommachanh, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, eight other Ministers and Vice Ministers, and 300 other guests to a celebration of America’s National Day. Ambassador Huso used the occasion to celebrate the close relationship between the governments of the United States and the Lao P.D.R. and the friendship between the peoples of our two nations.

In his remarks and in a message to the Lao people in the local newspapers, the Ambassador drew attention to the ongoing cooperation in humanitarian efforts such as accounting for Americans missing since the Indochina war; the fight against avian influenza, human trafficking, and drug abuse; and the effort to rid Laos of unexploded ordnance. Furthermore, he noted that the people of Laos and the United States continue to build on the relationship through the exchange of students and scholars, trade and investment, and tourism, further strengthening our ties and our bilateral relationship. 

Ambassador Huso closed the official ceremony with a toast to His Excellency, Mr. Choumaly Sayasone, to the President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, and to the friendship between the governments and peoples of the United States and the Lao PDR.

Ambassador Huso’s message to the people of the Lao PDR
President George W. Bush’s Independence Day Message