By the early 1950s, the First Indochina War had engulfed the region. Chinese military aid flowed to the Viet Minh, while the United States supported France. For the Viet Minh, Laos was an extension of their battle against the French. Twice in 1953 they staged major invasions of Laos, seizing large areas of the country and turning them over to the Pathet Lao. By the time full independence was granted in October 1953, Laos was a divided country, with large areas controlled by the Pathet Lao and the rest of the country under the Royal Lao Government. Eventually the French surrendered on May 7, 1954.

At the Geneva Conference , which convened on May 8, Laos was reaffirmed as a unitary, independent state with a single government. The Royal Lao agreed not to pursue a policy of aggression or to allow a foreign power to use its soil for hostile purposes. And the Pathet Lao were allotted the provinces of Phongsali and Houa Phan in which to regroup.