From the official English language website of the National Assembly of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (http://www.na.gov.la/eng/index.html):

The National Emblem of the Lao People's Democratic Republic is in the form of a circle, with its lower part depicting one half of a cog wheel and a red ribbon with the inscription " Lao People's Democratic Republic ", framed on two sides with crescent shaped ears of ripe rice with a red ribbon stretched between the middle of the rice ears with the inscription " Peace, Independence, Democracy, Unity, Prosperity ". A picture of " That Luang " is located between the tips of the rice ears. A road, a paddy field, a forest, and a hydroelectric dam are depicted in the middle of the form of a circle.