The 182 m high concrete face rockfill dam (CFRD) is one of the main components of the Nam Ngum 2 (NN2) hydropower scheme in Lao PDR. Construction of the dam was essentially completed in March 2010 and reservoir impounding commenced subsequently. This paper presents the main dam design features comprising dam zoning, face slab design and instrumentation. Construction principles and rockfill properties are explained. The main observations from the dam monitoring during construction and impounding are presented. The dam deformations as monitored up to date are taken as basis for back-calculations of rockfill properties. A comparison of observed dam deformation behaviour with different rockfill deformation simulation and prediction models is made.