Abstract
The Hmong are a distinct ethnic group from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. During the Vietnam War, many Hmong in Laos assisted the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States’ “Secret War” operations in Laos against communist forces. After the fall of Laos to communists, many Hmong refugees migrated to the United States. Sacramento is home to the third largest Hmong population in the nation. The Sacramento Hmong community continues to grow but not much is known about their life experiences. The goal of this project is to record the life histories of five Hmong Americans who came to the United States as refugees. Although the Hmong have been the subject of increasing scholarly studies, little has been done in terms of oral histories on the Hmong community. The project employed oral history methodology to record the personal histories of five individuals with regards to their life experiences in Laos, Thailand, and the United States. The interviews were digitally recorded. Three of the interviews were fully transcribed, and all of the interview materials were donated to the University Special Collections and Archives at Sacramento State.