Documenting Hmong and Lao Refugee Resettlement: A Tale of Two Contrasting Communities

Abstract

This paper explores the migration of refugees from Laos to the United States following a civil war further complicated by U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Drawing from previous studies on Southeast Asian refugees during the initial wave of resettlement, as well as new data from the past four decades, this study focuses on two ethnic communities in Minnesota, the Hmong and Lao. The comparison of these two communities is unique in that they are from the same country, were involved in the same kind of conflict, share similar socio-economic backgrounds, and fled the country of Laos for the same reason. Although resettling to the U.S. for the same reasons and starting with similar circumstances (levels of educational attainment, English fluency, etc.), in the nearly 40 years since their arrival, their experiences have diverged. What explains the discrepancy in integration of the Hmong and Lao?