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In the 1300s the first Laotian state, Lan Xang, was established with the help of the Khmer king. Except for rule by Burma from 1574-1637, the Lan Xang kingdom ruled Laos until 1713, when it split into three separate kingdoms: Vien Chan (now Vientiane), Champassak, and Luang Prabang. Laos was occupied by Thailand in 1779 and annexed by Thailand in 1828. A treaty of 3 October 1893 between Siam (Thailand) and France demarcated the boundary between Laos and Thailand and in effect made Laos a French protectorate. The Kingdom of Laos was established within French Indochina on September 15, 1945, and Laos gained its independence on October 22, 1953. . In 1975, soon after the fall of the anticommunist regimes of Saigon and Phnom Penh, the Pathet Lao took control of the country. The king abdicated and the Pathet Lao established the Lao People's Democratic Republic on 2 December 1975.

The earliest monies produced in Laos in the seventeenth century were base-silver bars and bullet coins. Tin hat money was produced under the Pahang Sultanage in the nineteenth century. Laos used Thailand’s monetary system, based on the Thai Silver Tical (THT), while it was part of Thailand. The Thai Catt was divisible into 20 Thai Tael, 40 Piastres or 80 Ticals. Cowrie shells, Vietnamese, Thai and British Indian coins also circulated.

In 1884, the Piastre de Commerce was introduced, equal in value to the Mexican Trade Dollar (24.4935 grams of silver) or about 5.37 French Francs. On July 8, 1895, Piastre coins of 24.3 grams were introduced and on July 8, 1895, the import of Mexican Trade Dollars was prohibited. Piastre coins were also issued in French Cochinchina and Tonkin. On March 31, 1930, the exchange rate between the French Indochina Piastre and French Franc was fixed at 10 to 1.

The Banque de l’Indochine was established by a decree of January 21, 1875. A branch was established in Phnom Penh, which became the note-issuing bank for all of Indochina from February 22, 1891 to December 31, 1951. During the Second World War, French Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) and Thailand, though occupied by Japanese troops, did not have Japanese occupation currency; rather, they paid a kind of ransom by creating domestic currency and giving it to Japan to pay for local expenses. The Piastre was divisible into 100 Cents.

After the war, France initially revalued the Piastre to equal 17 French Francs, but the Piastre was devalued back to its old level of 10 French Francs on May 11, 1953. On December 31, 1951 the exclusivie privilege of banknote issue was transferred to the Institut d'Émission des États du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viet-Nam, which also had its headquarters in Phnom Penh. Although separate notes were issued for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, the notes were legal tender in all three states.

The Laos Kip (LAO) was introduced at par with the French Indochina Piastre on May 5, 1955. The Laos Kip was replaced with the Liberation Kip (LAL) on June 15, 1976 at the rate of 1 Liberation Kip equal to 20 Old Kips. The Liberation Kip was replaced by a new Kip (LAK) on December 10, 1979 at the rate of 1 New Kip equal to 100 Liberation Kips. Although no new Kip has been introduced in Laos, the Kip has steadily depreciated since then. The Kip is divisible into 100 At. The Old Kip was issued by the Banque Nationale du Laos from 1955 until 1975; the Liberation Kip was issued by the Pathet Lao in areas it held before through 1979; and the new Kip is issued by the Bank of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic from 1979 on.

This note is valued at 1 Kip and was printed in 1979, but undated. The note is blue gray on multicolored underprint. The obverse features a Malitia unit to the left and coat of arms to the right. The reverse shows a classroom full of students. The note carries a watermark of stars, hammer and sickles.

• Krause# Pick-P-25a

Here is a 5 Kip note dated 1979. The note is green on multicolored underprint. The obverse depicts shoppers at a store to the left and the national coat of arms to the upper right. The reverse shows a logging operation being helped by elephants. The watermark for this note shows stars with a hammer and sickles.

• Krause# Pick-P-26a

This is a 1979 dated 10 Kip note. The note is dark brown on multicolored underprint. The obverse depicts a lumber mill to the left and the coat of arms to the right. The reverse shows medical scenes. The note has a watermark showing stars with a hammer and sickles.

• Krause# Pick-P-27a

Here is a 1979 dated 20 Kip note. The note is brown and red-brown on multicolored underprint. The obverse features the coat of arms to the left with a tank and column of troops to the right. The reverse being brown and maroon, depicts a textile mill in the center. The watermark on this note is of some stars with a hammer and sickles.

• Krause# Pick-P-28a

This is a 50 Kip note dated 1979. The note is violet on multicolored underprint. The obverse features the coat of arms and a rice rield being planted. The reverse is red and brown, and shows a hydroelectric dam in the center. The note has a watermark showing stars with a hammer and sickles.

• Krause# Pick-P-29a

Here is a 100 Kip note printed in 1979. The note is deep blue-green and deep blue on multicolored underprint. The obverse shows the grain harvesting, and the national Coat-of-Arms. The reverse depicts a bridge, wheat storgae tanks and a soldier.

• Krause# Pick-P-30a

This note is a 500 Kip noted dated 1988. The note is dark brown, purple and deep blue on multicolored underprint. The obverse depicts a modern irrigation system in the center with the ntional Coat-of-Arms above it. The reverse shows Loatian women harvesting fruit.

• Krause# Pick-P-31a

Here is a 1000 Kip note dated 2003. The note is dark green, deep purple and green on multicolored underprint. The obverse features three Loatian women to the left and the national Coat-of-Arms to the right, with a temple in the center. The reverse shows a field with cattle surounded by an ornate design. There is a star for a watermark.

• Krause# Pick-P-32f

• Krause# Pick-P-