The history Fa Ngum was the grandson of Souvanna Khampong, ruler of the Xieng Dong Xieng Thong kingdom, and was born in 1316 in Muang Sua (present day Luang Prabang).

The myth The future king of Lan Xang was born with a full set of teeth and to a prophecy which foretold of his destruction to the kingdom of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong. To prevent this, the king exiled Fa Ngum, who was set on a raft down the Mekong with caregivers in

order to thwart destiny.

The legacy Fa Ngum and his father were both exiled from their home because, some say, Fa Ngum's father seduced one of Souvanna Khampong's wives. Fa Ngum found his way into the court of Angkor, where he was accepted as a peer, lived into adulthood and married a Khmer princess.

Fa Ngum the child grew up to be a warrior and a leader of a powerful army of 10,000 Khmer fighters.

He began his campaign for revenge by first conquering the peninsular South-East Asia before expanding his empire into the Khorat Plateau, Muang Sing and the Red River Valley. In 1353, fate brought Fa Ngum head to head with his uncle, the new king of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong - who was thoroughly defeated. A year later in Vientiane, Fa Ngum named himself ruler of the kingdom, with Luang Prabang its capital, that would go on to rule Laos for over 300 years.