Hey y'all, just an update on my trip to Laos for visa exempt. It was not necessary to go with dollars because they accept thai baht at Wattay Airport in Vientiane (this detail is not specified in the website). Vientiane is a great city, I really liked it. A nice mix of east and west. In case anyone is interested, they have cool vegan restaurants there. I stayed in a very comfortable and affordable airbnb called Villa de Mekong. I bought the onward ticket but they didn't even ask for it at Don Mueang Airport. Anyway, better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Thanks for all of your advice and suggestions! I'm going to get an extension on my visa exempt and stay until the end of April.
Stay cool everybody, it's hot out there.