Identity
The people of Laos tend to identify as Lao, but how this term is defined is a source of confusion. Being Lao can be defined in political or ethnic terms and most Lao inside of Laos or close to Laos consider Lao to mean being an ethnic Lao living in Laos. However, many Lao outside of Laos and Southeast Asia (in North America for example) claim to be Lao, a statement and identity defined wholly in ethnic terms. Due to this, many ethnic Lao in Southeast Asia don't consider themselves Lao, but instead find numerous other ways to identify. A part of this detachment is that many Lao feel that their country is lagging behind neighbors so they don't have a strong sense of pride in the country and the name affiliated with the country, Lao. However, the ethnic Lao living in Laos almost always identify as being Lao. To these people, the term isn't necessarily one with a political implication, but is more reliant on the language, food, and other aspects of the culture. There are also numerous ethnic minorities in Laos, especially in the north and east. Most of these people identify with their ethnicity; among these people the Vietnamese and Hmong are two of the largest groups.