The three-part series “50 Years in the Valley: The Hmong Journey from War to Home” follows the Hmong community’s path from the mountains of Laos to the farmlands and cities of California’s Central Valley.
Part One looks at the first generation of Hmong refugees who resettled in the Valley. The Hmong Journey: From War to the Valley
Part Two focuses on the first generation of Hmong Americans born and raised in the United States. It follows their struggles with poverty, gangs, and cultural pressure as they came of age between two worlds.
Part Three looks toward the future, following the people who are guiding the next chapter of Hmong life in the Valley.
Credits for photos in above collage: Courtesy Chai Charles Moua, Brandon Vang, Merced Courthouse Museum and Colton Dennis.
Part 1: ‘We’ve come such a long way.’ The Valley’s Hmong community at 50: From ashes of war to seeds of hope
After the fall of Laos and end of the Secret War in the mid-1970s, a growing wave of Hmong families came to the U.S. fleeing communism. Many of those families put down roots in communities like Merced and Fresno.
Althoug resettlement brought relative safety for most, there was no shortage of difficulties. Many refugees arrived speaking no English, with little money in a culture that was anything but familiar. Adjustment was not merely a process – but a journey.
But survival didn’t mean ease. Families arrived with little, navigating language barriers, prejudice, and economic hardship. Still, a tight-knit community formed. People rebuilt lives — and planted seeds of a future.
This is the story of how the Hmong turned displacement into legacy.
Part 2: ‘I remember a lot of fights.’ For the Valley’s Hmong, assimilation didn’t come without scars
The children of Hmong refugees grew up between two worlds.
In Merced and Fresno during the ’80s and ’90s, they faced racism, poverty and pressure to fit in. At school, they were bullied. At home, they translated for their parents.
And through it all, they searched for belonging — through music, culture, and language. Now grown, many are educators, public servants, and advocates.
They are raising the next generation with a stronger voice — one that says:
We are Hmong. We are here. And we remember where we came from.
(Photo at right: Hmong children May Lee, Za Vue, Pat Saysamone, Zoua Her in a toy store at Merced Mall, 1986. Photo courtesy of the Merced County Courthouse Museum.)
Part 3: ‘We do have this deep power within us.’ After 50 years of struggle, Valley’s Hmong community charts a new path forward
Fifty years after arriving in California, the Hmong community is looking ahead.
Today, they serve on city councils. They lead nonprofits. They teach the next generation.
But their rise didn’t come easy. Women, especially, are pushing for change in homes, in tradition, and in leadership.
A new generation is learning to celebrate — not hide — their culture. Plus, Merced is building a park to honor General Vang Pao. Fresno’s schools are teaching Hmong history.
At New Year festivals, more kids are proudly wearing traditional clothes.
This isn’t just about looking back. It’s about growing forward — with memory, with pride, and with power. (Photo at left courtesy of Brandon Vang).
