Yes, Vientiane is a Little Hanoi already, I dont care who wants to say otherwise. Even up and inside the government fabric, " vietnamese flavor " is given a more preferential treatment over other things...
There is always some racist f+ck who thinks he knows the world commenting on this site. So Laos is similar to Vietnam, oooooohhhh, my buddha, what a revelation. You genious. And the alternative is what? Some cooky military-backed monarchy like in Thailand or overweight American imperialism or a Chinese variety of what Laos already has? Good on Laos for taking the middle path and attempting to negotiate all of these influences. To you little todgers that think there is something wrong with being Lao and Vietnamese and whatever else life has given us, stay in your suburban American ****holes and stuff your traps with your mc**** food so that the unintelligent vomit you pass for ideas doesn't come out.