In 1953, Laos broke free and became independent. But disaffection against the US-backed royal regime helped fuel a communist rebellion. The ensuing insurgency, coupled with an expanded US-Vietnam War, resulted in lengthy, saturation bombing of Laos by the Americans. Today, many of the communist rebels who defeated the Americans in 1975 run the one-party government of Laos. Though Marxism reached some mountain villages, it was poorly understood and difficult to enforce among the tribes.
Tribal culture relies on kinship, twined with household-based leadership.
As a result, communism failed to convert many tribesmen. This close-knit tribal network also appears whenever a foreigner treks through the hills. They will probably be more curious about what modern items you display, such as a water-pump purifier or photography equipment. Akhas are among the poorest of the poor in all nations they dwell. Women and children straggle up and down the dirt-hewn trekking routes, fetching drinkable water, firewood, foodstuff and anything else they can carry atop their heads.