No idea about Laos, but at least in Thailand & Malaysia my Capital One card was useless. Very, very few ATMs would accpt it.

My HSBC card worked perfectly in both countries and there were absolutely no fees charged by HSBC. The 150-baht/withdrawal charged by Thai ATMs is a whole separate issue however.

You might want to give them a call through Skype to make sure the situation is the same in Laos, but I would say that HSBC is most likely your best bet. I've used my HSBC card in about 8 countries within the last 12 month or so (including Thailand & Malaysia) and was never charged a fee .