Hi Pol the Pot ....
Well, it ain't Bangkok or Pataya or Phuket, that's for sure. You need tits bouncing nekkid on the bar?
As for food, Lao has regional dishes, royal cuisine, 'peasant' food, up- market, budget, whatever you're looking for.
What kind of 'peasant' food do you eat in Thailand?
I avoid the tourist haunts, so in Patts, walking along Beach Road is much more fun than most bars. Never been to Phuket - I like Bali as I can surf, and I really like the food. Phuket is for the moneyed classes.
Can't say I like BKK - too big, too many cars, too many people - but the klong taxi boats, & the river taxis, are great fun. Shopping is good.
In Laos, it seemed to me that people bought food raw & went home & cooked it - there was no street food eating as there is in Thai. Maybe I missed it.
I did like the coffee in a plastic bag stalls - there was one standout coffee 'shop' in Pakse, but only a very few grilled chicken stalls and small restaurants, all more pricey than in Thai.
Here there are so many cheap eateries, and cooked food markets, so you can find the ones you really like by trying them all. I just didn't find the wide range of choice in Laos that I have here.
In Vientiane - can you point me to one or two places with good, non-falang food, that's not too pricey?