Leaving for Laos and Vietnam

I am leaving for a whirlwind tour of Laos and Vietnam on Dec. 18 and returning Jan. 3. I will be returning to the country of my birth, for the first time since I left as a young child. The prospect is both exhilarating and terrifying. How will the Vietnamese view me, a native son who looks like them, but doesn't speak the language very well and is essentially American in almost every other respect? How will I react to them? I won't know until I get there.

Here is my rough itinerary:

Dec. 18 Leave LAX for Bangkok
Dec. 19 Arrive in BKK
Dec. 20 Arrive in Vientiane, Laos
Dec. 20-21 Spend a couple of days in the capital
Dec. 22 Leave for Luang Prabang
Dec. 22-24 Spend time in Luang Prabang, maybe go on a trekking trip
Dec. 25 Leave for Luang Namtha
Dec. 30 Leave for Hanoi, Vietnam
Dec. 30-Jan. 2 Spend the New Year in Hanoi
Jan. 2 Leave for Vientiane
Jan. 3 Depart Vientiane for BKK
Jan. 3 Depart BKK for Los Angeles

Hope to see you on the road!