BTW: The Laotians you speak of are most likely Hmong.
Big gang activity with them here in Nashville and Murfreesboro....drugs mostly....used to be H, now mostly weed and of course Hillbilly marching powder..meth.
and stolen cars and parts...huge in that
Vietnamese are quite different it seems...very achievement oriented. One an engineer is very close to my famliy...from Pass Christian...she was a baby when they left as boat people. Her daddy was a Mekong RVN local honcho. She is real ethnic Viet, not Chinese Viet.
What is really funny is how big both groups get in just one generation. I know Laotian men now who are 6 foot and 200 pounds.