hmong history
The Hmong people are believed to have originated in the Yellow River region of China, with oral traditions indicating their presence there as early as 3,000 BCE; over time, due to pressure from the expanding Chinese empire, they migrated southward, eventually settling in the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia, primarily in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma, where they faced ongoing conflicts with the ruling governments; most notably, during the Vietnam War, the Hmong allied with the United States in a "Secret War" against the communist Pathet Lao, leading to large-scale Hmong refugee migration to the US and other Western countries after the communist takeover of Laos in 1975.
The worldwide Hmong population is approximately 6,000,000 in China where the Hmong are called Miao; 788,000 in Vietnam; 315,000 in Laos; 124,000 in Thailand; 2-3,000 in Burma; 300,000 in the United States; 8,000 in France; and 1,800 in Australia. The majority of Hmong living in the United States today are those who came directly from Laos or via Thai refugee camps.
