United communist indochina?

Was there ever any possibility of Vietnam annexing Laos and Cambodia into a united communist "indochina" state during the mid to late 70s or early 80s?

Both were more or less Vietnam's puppets right (cambodia having been a Chinese client state before of course)? Was there ever any talk of outright incorporating them into one state?

I'm guessing their ethnic and cultural differences were probably just too much for it to be much of a serious consideration. If anyone knows whether the people of eastern mainland south east asia have or at least had any kind of affinity for one another to make unification a possible consideration I would greatly appreciate to hear it.

If the three countries had become one, would the resulting state be stronger from the unification, or strained under its own weight? Would such a state be potentially capable of "knocking over some dominoes" like thailand, malaysia, etc?

Perhaps an earlier POD during WW2 resulting in a united communist/ "nationalist" liberation front against the japanese and french would make this outcome easier to attain.

thanks for any and all thoughts. know this might be asb.
 
Well if Vietnam did so, I highly doubt things would go well for it in neither the short nor the long term. I highly doubt said incorporate will be peaceful, wiht various tribal, ethnic and nationalist groups actively resisting it via guerrilla warfare.

A united Indochina would almost certainly be perceived as a threat to Thailand, a strategic ally of the united states, and both parties will likely arm these groups against the Vietnamese. This is to say nothing of China, which invaded Vietnam due in part due to Vietnam toppling the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
 
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