The Hmong are a Southeast Asian mountain people who came to the aid of the United State in the Vietnam War. When US was forced to withdraw the Hmong were abandoned, persecuted b the Communists for helping the US, and forced into refugee camps in Thailand. In the mid 1970’s the US recognized its debt to them and began resettling some of them in this country. Of approximately 300,000 Hmong living in the US, more than 100,000 live in California; about 60,000 in the Central Valley.

Nomads, the Hmong are known for packing what they can carry, and heading off on foot in search of new places to settle. With a tradition of large families and few modern skills, survival in cities is difficult. With little English, most get on low-wage jobs, and can’t support a family. The Hmong have farmed for hundreds of years, which is why so many find the Central Valley an ideal location. There are over 1,200 Hmong families farming in the Valley.