Xaysomphone Phomvihane

Xaysomphone Phomvihane (; 12 December 1956 – 8 August 2026) was a Laotian politician who was president of the National Assembly of Laos from 2021 until his death in 2026. The son of former Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) General Secretary Kaysone Phomvihane and Thongvin Phomvihane, he joined the LPRP in 1984 and started his political career in the Savannakhet provincial party office. He was elected to the LPRP Central Committee at the 5th National Congress in 1991.

Early life and education Xaysomphone Phomvihane was born on 12 December 1956 in Na Mao Village, Viengxay District, in the Houaphanh province. His parents were Kaysone Phomvihane and Thongvin Phomvihane; Kaysone was a revolutionary and founding member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and served as its first secretary general as well as the de-facto leader of Laos from 1975 until his death in 1992. Through his father, Xaysomphone has Vietnamese ancestry. Xaysomphone was his parents' eldest son and had five siblings, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane, and Major General Sanyahak Phomvihane (died 2013).

He attended primary and secondary school in Vietnam and China, before returning to Laos to attend the Military School in Houaphanh province from 1974 to 1976. From 1976 to 1973, he attended Moscow State University in the then–Soviet Union, before returning to Laos in 1983, spending a year as an instructor at the National Academy of Politics and Public Administration.

Political career Xaysomphene joined the LPRD in 1984 and began his political career in 1987 at the Savannakhet provincial party office. In 1989 he became deputy governor, focusing on economic relationships with foreign countries. In addition, he led Lao delegations at World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings. At the beginning of the 4th Government of Laos, in 1998, he was made the minister in charge at the Office of the Prime Minister. In 2002, he was elected to National Assembly and in 2006, at the 8th National Congress, he became part of the 6th Standing Committee and was elected as the Assembly's vice president. His promotion was part of the generational transition between Pathet Lao revolutionaries in government leadership to the subsequent generation of political leaders. There, he was involved in disaster relief, including after Tropical Storm Sonca in 2017. He remained in the role until 2021 at the 11th National Congress, when he rose to rank five and was elected president of the National Assembly for the 11th Politburo, succeeding Pany Yathotou. He stayed president through the March 2026 elections of 12th Politburo, though there was speculation that he might become the country's prime minister. At the congress, he was promoted to rank two. the couple had two children. The LDPR and the Laotian government announced five days of national mourning following his death The day after Phomvihane's death, Vietnamese politician and then–Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Trần Thanh Mẫn led a delegation from the Communist Party of Vietnam to pay their respects.