After 5 days in  Hong Kong, we arrived to find Vientiane in a  state of emergency. The week before the Mekong overflowed and flooded parts of the city. The  river front was sandbagged  as protection against more flooding. Vientiane feels like a small provincial town that is slowly waking up. It is the last remaining capital in Asia that hasn't benefited from the regional economic boom. Perhaps that's why it still has some charm. More soon.