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HISTORY

TIMELINE



It is estimated that 4,500,000 Hmong live in Southern China, primarily
in Guizhouand Yunnan Provinces in the Southwest.

In Southeast Asia, Hmong live in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Burma​.

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Origins of the Hmong People in China and Southeast Asia

• 2700 B.C.: It is believed by some scholars that the Hmong Occupied the Yellow River region of China at this time. King Chi You, a legendary King prominent in Chinese History is believed to have been Hmong by many
• Linguistic scholar Martha Ratliff in a 2004 article only found evidence of Hmong in Southern China using ancient linguistic records tied to the Hmong language and Chinese historical accounts
• Other scholars have posited that Hmong may have originated in Siberia and even the Middle East, there is very little existing support for these theories


Timeline of Recent Hmong History
• 1790-1860 A.D.: Many Hmong migrate out of China to Laos, Northern Vietnam, and Thailand
• 1963-1975: The Vietnam War and the U.S. Secret Army in Laos
• 1975: Hmong Refugees Move to Thailand
• 1976 to Present Time: Hmong refugees move to the U.S., France, Australia, French Guyana, and Canada
• December 2003: U.S. State Department agrees to accept applications for resettlement from 15,000 Laotian Hmong refugees living in Wat Thamkrabok, Thailand
• 2004-2006: More than 15,000 Hmong refugees from Wat Tham Krabok arrive in Minnesota, California, Wisconsin and other states

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Hmong Role in the CIA’s Secret War in Laos 1963-1975
• “Mr. Pop” Edgar Buell, a retired Indiana farmer and humanitarian worker who was associated with the U.S. Information Office was a key figure who began working with Hmong in Laos in the late 1950s
• In 1961, Colonel Bill Lair, representing the CIA, met with Vang Pao, leader of the Hmong army in Laos to initiate a secret cooperative relationship between Hmong and U.S. operatives in Laos
• The CIA coordinated the effort against the Communists in Laos in partnership with the Hmong military leader General Vang Pao and the Royal Lao Government
• Long Cheng – an airbase in Laos – was the focal point of the Hmong and U.S. effort to defeat the Communist Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese in Laos
• The late William Colby, Director of the CIA during the Reagan administration, credited the Hmong with saving the lives of thousands of U.S. soldiers as they blocked the North Vietnamese from their efforts to extend the Ho Chi Minh Trail into Laos for several years
• The full extent of the Hmong role assisting the U.S. in the Vietnam War era was not officially acknowledged by the CIA and U.S. officials until the early 1980s
• The full extent of the Hmong role assisting the U.S. in the Vietnam War era was not officially acknowledged by the CIA and U.S. officials until the early 1980s
• The Hmong played an important role in preventing the North Vietnamese Communists from extending the Ho Chi Minh Trail from Vietnam into Laos for several years.
• Estimates are that 30,000-40,000 Hmong died during the duration of the Vietnam War in Laos
• In June 1974, the last Air America plane and last U.S. military personnel left Laos. Over 40,000 North Vietnamese troops remained in Laos at this time to assist the Communist Pathet Lao
• In May 1975, the Hmong General Vang Pao was evacuated by air to Thailand, thousands of Hmong were left behind. Later In 1975 the Pathet Lao publicly announced their plans to “wipe out” the Hmong

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The Hmong Refugee Experience/Movement to the U.S. 1975-Early 1990s
• In 1975, thousands of Hmong began attempting to escape Laos by crossing the Mekong River into Thailand. Many Hmong died during the exodus process. Many Hmong babies died when their parents used opium to quiet them so Pathet Lao soldiers would not hear them as they tried to escape the country
• Several Hmong refugee camps were established in Thailand by the late 1970s. The largest and best known Hmong refugee camp in Thailand was known as Ban Vinai
• The first Hmong refugees began arriving in the United States from the Thailand camps in December 1975 and January 1976
• The number of Hmong refugees admitted into U.S. from the Thailand refugee camps exceeded 10,000 in 1979 and reached a peak of about 27,000 in 1980 before decreasing to under 5,000 in 1981 and even less per year through mid-1980s
• The number of Hmong refugees annually admitted to the U.S. began increasing again in 1987 and exceeded 10,000 in 1988. The number exceeded 5,000 each year between 1989 and 1994 with the exception of 1990
• The 1990 U.S. census found about 94,000 Hmong residing in the U.S.

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Hmong Refugees in Wat Tham Krabok Buddhist Temple in Thailand 1992-2004
• As Ban Vinai and the other Hmong refugee camps in Thailand had closed by 1992, many of the Lao Hmong refugees left in Thailand who had not yet been able to come to the U.S. or other countries as refugees were given refuge by a Thai Buddhist monk in a temple an hour north of Bangkok called Wat Tham Krabok
• The 15,000 or so Lao Hmong refugees in Wat Tham Krabok had no official status in Thailand. For many years the Thai government wanted to repatriate (force) them to back to Laos where they feared for their safety
• Finally in December 2003 after years of lobbying by Hmong-American organizations, the U.S. State Department agreed to accept 15,000 Hmong refugees living in Wat Tham Krabok into the U.S. They started arriving in June 2004
• By the end of 2006, more than 5,100 Hmong Refugees from Wat Tham Krabok were resettled in Minnesota.

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Issues with Hmong-American Census Data
U.S. Hmong census enumerations are almost certainly significant undercounts
• The Language Barrier may have prevented some families from filling out the census form
• A person only counted as “Hmong” if they took the initiative to write in “Hmong” as their ethnicity on the census form
• Many families may be distrustful of providing information to the government about income etc. due to past experiences as a minority in Laos and Thailand





Hmong Population in the U.S. (2010 Census Hmong Populations by State)
United States – 260,076
Top 10 Hmong Populations by State
1. California – 91,224
2. Minnesota – 66,181
3. Wisconsin – 49, 240
4. North Carolina – 10, 864
5. Michigan – 5,924
6. Colorado – 3, 859
7. Georgia – 3,623
8. Alaska – 3, 534
9. Oklahoma – 3,369
10. Washington – 2,404


2010 Hmong Populations in California – Top 10 city/town
1. Fresno, CA – 31,771
2. Sacramento - Roseville, CA 26,996
3. Merced, CA – 7,254
4. Stockton, CA – 6,968
5. Chico, CA – 4,354
6. Yuba City, CA – 2,883
7. Los Angeles – Long Beach – Santa Ana, CA – 1,960
8. Riverside – San Bernardino – Ontario, CA – 1,598
9. San Diego – Carlsbad – San Marcos, CA – 1,388
10. Visalia – Porterville, CA – 1,086

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Hmong Demographics in the U.S. (2006 American Community Survey)
• Median Age of Hmong population in U.S.: 19.1 years compared to 36.4 years among the entire population of the United States.
• % of Hmong Population in U.S. under 18 years old: 47% compared to 24.6% of the entire U.S. population
• Average Hmong Household Size: 5.36 persons compared to 2.61 persons among the entire U.S. population

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U.S. Hmong Educational Status (2006 American Community Survey)
• 39.75% Hmong-American Adults have less than a high school diploma compared to 15.9% of the entire U.S. population
• 60.3% all adult Hmong-Americans have earned a high school diploma or higher compared to 84.1% of the entire U.S. population
• 12.6% adult Hmong-Americans have earned a Bachelor’s Degree or higher compared to 27.0% of the entire U.S. population
• The percentage of Hmong with a high school diploma and a Bachelor’s Degree have more than doubled since 1990 showing considerable educational progress among Hmong people in America
• The 2006 American Community Survey indicates that Hmong men’s educational attainment still exceeds that of Hmong women, though the gap has narrowed considerably since 1990. Anecdotal evidence suggests women have eliminated the gap and perhaps even pulled ahead in terms of enrollment and completion of higher education.



U.S. Hmong Socioeconomic Status (2006 American Community Survey)
• U.S. Hmong Median Family Income: $42, 875 compared to %58,526 of the entire U.S. population
• 26.4% U.S. Hmong Families lived below the Poverty Level compared to 9.8% of the entire U.S. population
• Percentage of U.S. Hmong Families living below Poverty Level fell from nearly 70% to less than 30% between 1989 and 2006.
• U.S. Hmong Homeownership rate: 54.1% compared to 12% in 1990





Sources​​

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