AHC: Give Laos a coastline

[Tom Colton]

Many people only know Laos as the only landlocked Southeast Asian nation. With any PoD beginning from 1st January 1900, arrange events such that Laos defies its reputation and winds up with territories bordering the sea.

Cheeky answers involving Laos being in a federation with Cambodia or Vietnam (or Thailand or Myanmar for that matter), or the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, will not be tolerated. Laos must be in control of something which can rightfully be called the "Laotian Corridor" (or better) in its own sovereign territory.

 

[Yuelang]

To be fair the Lao people are mountain people who traditionally known to limit their reaches on mountain ranges...

with correct pre1900 POD, the Lao invasion of Champa could result in they gaining long term foothold in mekong delta... but impossible otherwise.

 

[shiftygiant]

Maybe Indochina breaks up differently? Federation isn't too bad. I've been bouncing around the idea of South Vietnam entering a union with non-communist Laos as a final attempt to stave off collapse, Laos gaining the DMZ. But I agree with Yuelang, we need to go earlier for a solid move to the sea.

 

[Just a Rube]

Yeah, 1900 is way too late as anything outside of a federation or an asteroid strike that completely rearranges the local geography.

Any direction you go, you hit people with long national traditions/identities (e.g. the Vietnamese) with larger populations. For example, Hanoi alone has a higher population than all of Laos. Any such state would immediately become a Vietnam that also ruled over Laos, not the other way around. You get the same problem with any other direction of expansion.