SU was established in accordance with the
Prime Minister Decree, No 169/PM, dated 4 November 2003, and inaugurated on the following day. It is named after
Prince Souphanouvong, who was the first
President of the
Democratic People's Republic of Laos. In 2018, SU helped to establish the first
Confucius Institute in northern Laos (together with the
Kunming University of Science and Technology). ==Programmes and courses==