''Chao Raxavong'' Ngao (also spelled Ngau or Ngaow, th, เจ้าราชวงศ์ (เหง้า) , born 1802) was a Laotian prince. He was the third most important person of

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

, just after his uncle, the ''

oupahat Uparaja or Ouparath, also Ouparaja ( my, ဥပရာဇာ ; km, ឧបរាជ, ; th, อุปราช, ; lo, ອຸປຮາດ, ''Oupahat''), was a royal title reserved for the viceroy in the Buddhist dynasties in Burma, Cambodia, and ...

'' Tissa. In Vietnamese records, he was called ''Hạt Xà Bồng'' (曷蛇芃). Ngao was the second son of Chao Anouvong. In his youth, he served as a political hostage in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. In 1826, he was ordered to commanded a Lao menial labor corps to dig canals and fell trees. They were ill-treated by

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

ese, which became one of the principal reasons for Anouvong's revolt against Siamese. In Lao rebellion, Ngao was the commander-in-chief of Vientiane army. He led one of three Laotian armies to fight against Siamese. His army marched further to Saraburi to repatriate the Lao families who had been forcibly relocated there fifty years before. However, Siam quickly organized a massive counterstrike, Ngao had to withdraw to Nong Bua Lamphu. Finally, Nong Bua Lamphu fell to Siamese, he fled back to

. After the first sack of Vientiane, he accompanied Anouvong to Nghệ An in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

in 1827. He returned with his father in the next year. His army was crushed by Siamese in

Udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. It is a comfort food for many Japanese people. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a hot soup as with a mild broth called ...

on 18 October 1828. Ngao was wounded, but never captured. He fled to Mahaxay and continued fighting against Siamese. His end was unknown; various tales of lore by Lao, Siamese and French sources claimed that he survived for many years, raised a family and left descendants.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngao of Vientiane Laotian royalty Kingdom of Vientiane 1802 births Year of death unknown 19th-century Laotian people

See also

References