My firs time eating kapoon was by the hands of my Laotian neighbor when I first came to cali in 89. This was before I even know what a hmong was.
Then I became friends with hmong people and I ate their kaopoon and knew I had tasted it somewhere.
Laos vs thai food. Same same. Larb and papaya although the thai way or lao way vs the hmong way are different I heard. Something to do with adding vermicelli or cabbage into your dish.