Their Story

For the past two hundred years, the Hmong people resided primarily in the country of Laos in Southeast Asia. In the 60s and 70s, the Hmong people of Laos were secretly recruited by the American CIA to fight in the Vietnam War. This war is known today as the Secret War. At the conclusion of this war, several Hmong families had to flee their homes in Laos and come to America as refugees in the late 70s. While today the majority of the Hmong population in America reside in other states such as California and Minnesota, there is a small and proud community of Hmong people here in Connecticut. Hmong families have been here in Connecticut since the late 70s.

Fleeing their homes in Laos due to war and carrying tragedy all the way to a new world of America, the Hmong people of Connecticut responded the only way they knew how. To pick up the pieces, find work to support their families, and to come together as a close-knit Hmong community. That close-knit Connecticut Hmong community from the 70s would eventually become the “Hmong Foundation of Connecticut” today, a cultural nonprofit organization focused on improving the community life of the Hmong people of Connecticut.