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Before the Vietnam War, the Hmong lived simple lives throughout Southeast Asia, although some speculate that their origins go back to Central Siberia (Quincy, vi). An estimated six million Hmong live throughout various places of the world including the mountains of Southeast Asia, France, Canada, Australia, the United States, and the largest population residing in China. According to Chinese history, the Hmong migrated into northern China and competed with the Chinese for land, thus becoming the first enemies of the Chinese. Eventually, the Hmong were driven south and in the middle of the nineteenth century, into northern Vietnam and Laos (Quincy, vi). In Laos, the Hmong live in the mountain ranges in villages and houses similar to the one pictured above in Luang Prabang, Laos. The villages varied in size “from a few families to twenty or thirty...houses were built on slopes surrounded by high mountains (Quincy, 70).” Bamboos, palm leaves and whatever could be obtained from the surrounding area could be used to build a house (Quincy, 70).

Hmong village in mountains of Laos, near Luang Prabang.

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