Please refer to these sites and books to learn more information about Laos.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/laos/travel-tips-and-articles/76020
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g293949-s205/Laos:Recommended.Reading.html
Laos: a Country between Yesterday and Today by Ann Helen Unger
Buddhist Temple Life in Laos: Wat Lok Pa Luang by Ilse Schrama, Birgit Schrama
A Short History of Laos: The Land in Between by Grant Evans
Laos by Stephen Mansfield
Laos Hill Tribes by Stephen Mansfield