Hmong Tribune August 2014
8
T HE HMONG TRIBUNE HMOOB XOV XWM A UGUST 2014 PUB DLAWB CALIFORNIA ’S HMONG NEWSPAPER HMONGSTORY40 PROJECT KICK OFF P AGE 2 4759 E. OLIVE A VE. #101 FRESNO, CA 93702 OFFICE (559) 709-5948 FACEBOOK.COM/THEHMONGTRIBUNE HMONGTRIBUNE@YAHOO.COM SUMMER SHOWCASE P AGES 4 & 5 By Kou Yang and Dia Cha In March, 2014, a combined group repre- senting the Lao Hmong Overseas Committee in the United States of America, and represen- tatives of an internationally known humani- tarian institute in Geneva, Switzerland, boarded a Korean Airlines flight from LAX to Hanoi to embark on a fact-finding mission the purpose of which was to learn about Hmong living conditions in Vietnam with regard to home environments, social and economic situ- ations, education and participation in govern- ment. The Lao Hmong Overseas group was comprised of four individuals: Paul Herr, of Washington, D.C.; Kazoua Kong-Thao of Saint Paul, Minnesota; Kou Yang of Turlock, California; Dia Cha of Sacramento, CA; The journey, arranged by Herr, had been funded by the Swiss organization and would take the four to a variety of locations in northern Vietnam not far from the Chinese border, principally in the provinces of Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau and Lao Cai. After arriving in Hanoi and meeting with government officials for two days, the group took a one-hour noon flight to Dien Bien Phu City, also known as Muong Thanh or Muong Thene (Moos Theeb in Hmong). It was a lo- cale of much interest, since many of our Hmong ancestors had passed through this re- gion more than two hundred years ago; had lived here; or passed through prior to their mi- gration into Laos as recently as the fifties. In fact, it is often said the Lao migrated from Muong Thene (Muong Theng) into the terri- tory known today as Laos and founded the Lao state. Culturally speaking, Khamchong Luang Praseuth wrote that the Lao and other Tai eth- nic groups came from “an area called Muong Theng” and claimed that this region once be- longed to the Lao state.i Before 1954, part of Laos and the northwest region of Vietnam, in- cluding Son La, Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau and Lao Cai were known as Sipsong Chau Tai or the Twelve Tai Districts. Toward the end of French colonial rule, the Tai districts were or- ganized into a semi-autonomous federation under the rule of a White Tai (Tai On) de- scendant by the name of Deo Van Tri, and then his son, Deo Van Long. The defeat of the French during the well-known 1954 Dien Bien Phu Battle ended the Tai Federation, and led to an exodus of Tai Dam and Tai Khao (Tai On) people out of their homeland and into Laos, Thailand, and even France. Today, the majority of Tai Dam people, estimated to be nearly a million, continue to live in North Vietnam, including Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau and Lao Cai. About 10,000 Tai Dam, refugees from Laos, live in the United States, mainly in Des Moines, Iowa. We found the weather in Dien Bien Phu City to be similar to that of Cali- fornia; that is, pleasantly warm, dry and sunny. This favorable weather allowed us to make a brief visit to the bunker of the commander of the French at Dien Bien Phu. This fiercely contested bat- tle with the Vietminh took place from March 13 to May 7, 1954, lasting one month, three weeks and three days. Despite being confident of their food supplies, the superiority of their weapons, and their network of defen- sive trenches and bunkers, the 20,000 French troops were ultimately over- whelmed by 40,000 Vietminh soldiers under the command of the legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap (1911-2013). Giap’s forces broke the French line and reaped a French defeat on May 7 and, as a result, the government of France granted independence throughout French IndoChina – the modern-day states of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia – at the 1954 Geneva Conference. Visiting the site of this battle, we were solemnly reminded of the vast numbers of ca- sualties on both sides, estimated by the French to be about 23,000. Interestingly, two Ameri- cans also died during this battle. Many Hmong served on both sides, and were among those who perished. In the 1970s, a Hmong sergeant in the Royal Lao Army, who fought on the French side, related his experi- ences. He told of his luck in surviving and de- scribed paddy fields and ponds stained with the blood of the fallen and filled with dead bodies. Many war prisoners were forced to walk many miles without food or drink, so that some died along the way. The province of Dien Bien Phu is home to many ethnic groups such as the Tai Dam (42.2%), Hmong (27.2%), Viet or Kinh (19%), Kho Mu (3.9%), as well as somewhat fewer numbers of Hani, Khang, Chinese, and various other ethnic groups. The Hmong are the second largest ethnic group in Dien Bien Phu province; since Dien Bien Phu is part of the an- cient Twelve Tai Districts, the Thai are understandably the largest. The valley of Muong Thanh ( Mu ong Thene) could be considered their Crater of Civilization. We had an opportunity to meet and chat with provincial officials of Dien Bien Phu, including the provincial Chairman of the People’s Council, a Hmong who interacted with us in the Hmong language. Because Dien Bien Phu City is very close to the border of Laos, and less than 100 kilometers away from Muong Khua in Fonghsaly, we found the dialect of the Hmong of Dien Bien Phu to be very similar to our own. In addition to being the site of the French defeat, Dien Bien Phu is also the site of many other painful events, in- cluding the May 2011 unrest which be- came a hot topic in the international media, with all parties in agreement that some Hmong Americans might have had a small role in this tragedy. At an informal dinner that same evening, there was an opportunity for us to chat informally – occasionally in Hmong – with our hosts. One official of the Hmong Yang clan toasted Dr. Kou Yang, saying, “You and I do not eat the heart of the animal.” Speaking a common language and sharing common traditions, we felt comfort- able to explore the aches and pains of the past, and talking about these past scars is, indeed, the first step to healing those scars. After all, we are none other than people of the same family, separated by war and victims of war; many of us lost family members and friends to both sides of the conflict. We left Dien Bien Phu City early the next morning and travelled to Muong Nhe District, arriving there a little after noon. Checking into the guest house, we had lunch before mak- ing our way to the town’s boarding school for ethnic minority students, where we found some of the youngsters dressed in traditional outfits, including those of the Hmong. We also talked with some of these same Hmong students, who spoke fluent Hmong and were surprised to hear us speaking to them in their own language. We learned from school offi- cials that the government provides free educa- tion, in addition to free room and board, to every one of the students in this school. After this visit, we headed off toward Huoi Khuon, site of the unrest of May, 2011. There, we were briefed by commune officials on the details of the 2011 event. We learned that some sixty families joined the unrest here, and all of them came from out of town; many came from other provinces. It seems that these Hmong came to wait for the coming of their king, and that they wanted to establish their own kingdom. Local Hmong, who are over- whelmingly Christian, did not join them. The two commune leaders who briefed us asserted that there was no killing and no one died at this time. They further related that, after days of talking and negotiating, the government de- cided peacefully to disperse them due to the development of health hazards in the environ- ment. A few participants were ill and needed medical care, and were sent to the hospital. Many were bused to their homes. These offi- cials indicated that ‘bad elements’ were the cause of this unrest, but did not elaborate. We did not meet with members of the Huoi Khuon commune, and were told that they had gone to work in the fields. A Visit to the Hmong of Vietnam A classroom of the boarding school in Muong Nhe. Photo by Kou Yang, 2014 Huoi Khuon, the site of May 2011 Unrest. Photo by Kou Yang, 2014. A group of Hmong women resting after working on their fields. Photo by Kou Yang, 2014. Continued on Page 7
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Transcript of Hmong Tribune August 2014
THEHMONGTRIBUNEHMOOB XOV XWM AUGUST 2014 PUB DLAWB
CALIFORNIA’S HMONG NEWSPAPER
HMONGSTORY40PROJECT KICK OFF
PAGE 24759 E. OLIVE AVE. #101 FRESNO, CA 93702 OFFICE (559) 709-5948 FACEBOOK.COM/THEHMONGTRIBUNE [email protected]
SUMMERSHOWCASE
PAGES 4 & 5
By Kou Yang and Dia ChaIn March, 2014, a combined group repre-
senting the Lao Hmong Overseas Committeein the United States of America, and represen-tatives of an internationally known humani-tarian institute in Geneva, Switzerland,boarded a Korean Airlines flight from LAX toHanoi to embark on a fact-finding mission thepurpose of which was to learn about Hmongliving conditions in Vietnam with regard tohome environments, social and economic situ-ations, education and participation in govern-ment. The Lao Hmong Overseas group wascomprised of four individuals: Paul Herr, ofWashington, D.C.; Kazoua Kong-Thao ofSaint Paul, Minnesota; Kou Yang of Turlock,California; Dia Cha of Sacramento, CA; Thejourney, arranged by Herr, had been funded bythe Swiss organization and would take the fourto a variety of locations in northern Vietnamnot far from the Chinese border, principally inthe provinces of Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau andLao Cai.
After arriving in Hanoi and meeting withgovernment officials for two days, the grouptook a one-hour noon flight to Dien Bien PhuCity, also known as Muong Thanh or MuongThene (Moos Theeb in Hmong). It was a lo-cale of much interest, since many of ourHmong ancestors had passed through this re-gion more than two hundred years ago; hadlived here; or passed through prior to their mi-gration into Laos as recently as the fifties. Infact, it is often said the Lao migrated fromMuong Thene (Muong Theng) into the terri-tory known today as Laos and founded the Laostate.
Culturally speaking, Khamchong LuangPraseuth wrote that the Lao and other Tai eth-nic groups came from “an area called MuongTheng” and claimed that this region once be-longed to the Lao state.i Before 1954, part ofLaos and the northwest region of Vietnam, in-cluding Son La, Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau andLao Cai were known as Sipsong Chau Tai orthe Twelve Tai Districts. Toward the end ofFrench colonial rule, the Tai districts were or-ganized into a semi-autonomous federationunder the rule of a White Tai (Tai On) de-scendant by the name of Deo Van Tri, and thenhis son, Deo Van Long. The defeat of theFrench during the well-known 1954 Dien BienPhu Battle ended the Tai Federation, and ledto an exodus of Tai Dam and Tai Khao (TaiOn) people out of their homeland and intoLaos, Thailand, and even France. Today, themajority of Tai Dam people, estimated to benearly a million, continue to live in NorthVietnam, including Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chauand Lao Cai. About 10,000 Tai Dam, refugees
from Laos, live in the United States,mainly in Des Moines, Iowa.
We found the weather in Dien BienPhu City to be similar to that of Cali-fornia; that is, pleasantly warm, dry andsunny. This favorable weather allowedus to make a brief visit to the bunker ofthe commander of the French at DienBien Phu. This fiercely contested bat-tle with the Vietminh took place fromMarch 13 to May 7, 1954, lasting onemonth, three weeks and three days.Despite being confident of their foodsupplies, the superiority of theirweapons, and their network of defen-sive trenches and bunkers, the 20,000French troops were ultimately over-whelmed by 40,000 Vietminh soldiersunder the command of the legendaryGeneral Vo Nguyen Giap (1911-2013).Giap’s forces broke the French line andreaped a French defeat on May 7 and, asa result, the government of Francegranted independence throughoutFrench IndoChina – the modern-daystates of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia– at the 1954 Geneva Conference.
Visiting the site of this battle, we weresolemnly reminded of the vast numbers of ca-sualties on both sides, estimated by the Frenchto be about 23,000. Interestingly, two Ameri-cans also died during this battle.
Many Hmong served on both sides, andwere among those who perished. In the 1970s,a Hmong sergeant in the Royal Lao Army, whofought on the French side, related his experi-ences. He told of his luck in surviving and de-scribed paddy fields and ponds stained with
the blood of the fallen and filled with deadbodies. Many war prisoners were forced towalk many miles without food or drink, so thatsome died along the way.
The province of Dien Bien Phu is home tomany ethnic groups such as the Tai Dam(42.2%), Hmong (27.2%), Viet or Kinh(19%), Kho Mu (3.9%), as well as somewhatfewer numbers of Hani, Khang, Chinese, andvarious other ethnic groups. The Hmong arethe second largest ethnic group in Dien Bien
Phu province;since DienBien Phu ispart of the an-cient TwelveTai Districts,the Thai areunderstandablythe largest.The valley ofMuong Thanh( M u o n gThene) couldbe consideredtheir Crater ofCivilization.
We had anopportunity tomeet and chatwith provincialofficials ofDien Bien Phu,including thep r o v i n c i a l
Chairman of the People’s Council, aHmong who interacted with us in theHmong language. Because Dien BienPhu City is very close to the border ofLaos, and less than 100 kilometers awayfrom Muong Khua in Fonghsaly, wefound the dialect of the Hmong of DienBien Phu to be very similar to our own.
In addition to being the site of theFrench defeat, Dien Bien Phu is also thesite of many other painful events, in-cluding the May 2011 unrest which be-came a hot topic in the internationalmedia, with all parties in agreement thatsome Hmong Americans might havehad a small role in this tragedy.
At an informal dinner that sameevening, there was an opportunity forus to chat informally – occasionally inHmong – with our hosts. One official
of the Hmong Yang clan toasted Dr. Kou Yang,saying, “You and I do not eat the heart of theanimal.” Speaking a common language andsharing common traditions, we felt comfort-able to explore the aches and pains of the past,and talking about these past scars is, indeed,the first step to healing those scars. After all,we are none other than people of the samefamily, separated by war and victims of war;many of us lost family members and friends toboth sides of the conflict.
We left Dien Bien Phu City early the nextmorning and travelled to Muong Nhe District,arriving there a little after noon. Checkinginto the guest house, we had lunch before mak-ing our way to the town’s boarding school forethnic minority students, where we foundsome of the youngsters dressed in traditionaloutfits, including those of the Hmong. Wealso talked with some of these same Hmongstudents, who spoke fluent Hmong and weresurprised to hear us speaking to them in theirown language. We learned from school offi-cials that the government provides free educa-tion, in addition to free room and board, toevery one of the students in this school.
After this visit, we headed off toward HuoiKhuon, site of the unrest of May, 2011. There,we were briefed by commune officials on thedetails of the 2011 event. We learned thatsome sixty families joined the unrest here, andall of them came from out of town; many camefrom other provinces. It seems that theseHmong came to wait for the coming of theirking, and that they wanted to establish theirown kingdom. Local Hmong, who are over-whelmingly Christian, did not join them. Thetwo commune leaders who briefed us assertedthat there was no killing and no one died atthis time. They further related that, after daysof talking and negotiating, the government de-cided peacefully to disperse them due to thedevelopment of health hazards in the environ-ment. A few participants were ill and neededmedical care, and were sent to the hospital.Many were bused to their homes. These offi-cials indicated that ‘bad elements’ were thecause of this unrest, but did not elaborate. Wedid not meet with members of the HuoiKhuon commune, and were told that they hadgone to work in the fields.
A Visit to the Hmong of Vietnam
A classroom of the boarding school in Muong Nhe. Photo by Kou Yang, 2014
Huoi Khuon, the site of May 2011 Unrest. Photo by Kou Yang, 2014.
A group of Hmong women resting after working on their fields. Photo by Kou Yang, 2014.
Continued onPage 7
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THE HMONGTRIBUNEPublisherSteve ThaoWritersJon P. DarbonnierChelsey See XiongCathy ThaoManaging EditorSeng Alex VangContributorsBryan T. WorraFong ChaKhong M LeeSky Bee VueAccount ExecutiveChuck LeeAlex Seng Vang
[email protected](559) 709-5948
By Chelsey See XiongOn Friday, July
25th the Hmongstory40 (HS40) projectteam kicked-off thebeginning of theirproject at the UnitedWay of Fresno Countycenter in Fresno, Cali-fornia. More than onehundred communityprofessionals werepresent to learn aboutthe project. TheHmongstory 40 proj-ect is a Californiastate-wide collabora-tive exhibit project fis-cally managed by theUnited Way of FresnoCounty, with a volun-teer team.
The kicked-offevent included speak-ers from the valley:Michael Alexander,President and CEO ofUnited Way of FresnoCounty; Blong Xiong,City of Fresno Coun-cilmember; MajorNhia Long Vang, Spe-cial Guerrilla UnitCalifornia Chapter; Koua Franz, Chief of Staffwith Sacramento Unified School District;Steve Ly, Elk Grove Board of EducationTrustee; and Misty Her, Assistant Superin-tendent with Fresno Unified School District.The speakers emphasized on the importanceof HS40 and the Hmong story as part of ourlarger community.
The purpose is to document the history,collect artifacts and pictures to tell the Hmongstory, from the Hmong’s settlement in Laos tothe wave of refugees in California. The collec-tion will be showcased in a museum-like ex-hibit at the end of 2015 in Fresno, with latertravel dates to Merced, Sacramento and otherheavily Hmong populated areas.
With a collaborative team from through-out California and from different generations,the Hmongstory 40 team hopes that they canappeal to different Hmong generations andother communities to volunteer and supporttheir effort. At the event, Hmongstory 40 re-ceived a generous donation of $10,000 fromUnited Way of Fresno County. “Hmongstory40 is about defining our history as Hmongpeople and will be shaped by our communityand its unique stories. We will present a newnarrative and new perspective about theHmong experience,” said Lar Yang, the creativemind and founder of the HS40 project.“When you volunteer your strengths, yourtime and best of yourself, you are helping toshape how the story of your people’s historyand heritage are documented and how yourchildren will learn about their own identity asa Hmong person.”
As a 501c3 project, the goal is to make theexhibit free which will allow the communityto come celebrate their collective identity, her-itage, and history. All donations are tax de-ductible and strengthen all communities.Donation of any amount are appreciated. Theproject will accept support from individuals,businesses, and foundations.
For more information about theHmongstory 40 project and how you can con-tribute, contact the project coordinator LarYang at [email protected] or (559)454.1212.
Hmongstory 40 Project Kick-off
By Cathy Thao, J.D., Sacramento, CAThis year, Hmong Youth and Parents
United hosted the first Hmong NationalNight Out in North Sacramento at Del PasoNeuvo Park on August 5, 2014. NationalNight Out has been celebrated nationwide forthe last 31 years and by thousands of commu-nities. The overall goal of National Night Outis to promote involvement in crime preventionactivities, police-community partnerships,neighborhood friendship, and send a messageto criminals letting them know that neighbor-hoods are organized and fighting back.
Hmong National Night Out brought outcity council elected officials, members from theState Assembly, police officers and firemen tomeet and mingle with the Hmong community.In addition, well known Hmong artists such asNtxhi Yaj from Sacramento and Mim Yaj fromChina performed songs with lyrics that re-minded the Hmong to love and support oneanother as well as stay united. Other amazingperformances were by the young and talentedHmong in the Sacramento community.
About 150 Hmong parents and their chil-dren came out for an entertaining and inform-ative night. Hotdogs and nab vam wasprovided to the attendees. One father learnedfrom conversing with his local firefighter whathe is allowed to burn or not burn within thecity limits. Besides dancing jubilantly to
Hm o n gm u s i c ,childrengot theopportu-nity tolook intoa real firet r u c k .A t -t e n d e e ,P o vF w mVue wase cstatica b o u tmeetinga policeo f f i c e rand fire-man inp er s o n ,e s p e -c i a l l ywhen hereceiveda polices t i c k e rand firefighter sticker to wear on his shirt.HYPU President, Nha Thai Thao, said suchan event is necessary to show our law enforce-
ment officers, firefighters, elected officials andother communities that the Hmong commu-nity cares about safety and will join forces tostop crime.
Hmong communities who are interested in
hosting a National Night Out next year cantalk to their local elected officials and city hallfor the necessary permits to host such an event.More information on National Night Out anda starting kit can be found at natw.org.
THEHMONGTRIBUNEAUGUST 2014
4759 E. OLIVE AVE. #101 FRESNO, CA 93702 OFFICE (559) 709-5948 FACEBOOK.COM/THEHMONGTRIBUNE Page 3
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THEHMONGTRIBUNE AUGUST 2014
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Local SportsHmong StudentAssociation at
Fresno StateSummer Showdown
The HMSA – Hmong Student Association at Fresno Statehosted a sports tournament on Saturday August 16 to a robustsuccess.
Men’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball and men’s flagfootball competed in a one day tournament.
A hot day in Fresno/Clovis but everyone had fun. SherryVang, one of the organizers for HMSA said that the student or-ganization has always focused on higher education but wanted totry a fun event.
Nearly 200 people came out for event. Vang said that HMSAis looking at doing another sports tournament later in the year.
Women’s Volleyball – Big Bang
Men’s Volleyball –Wolf Pack
Flag Football - Darkside
The winnersBasketball – Uptempo/KronicMen’s Volleyball – Wolf PackWomen’s Volleyball – Big BangFlag Football - Darkside
To Report News or submit articles: Call (559) 709-5948 - facebook.com/thehmongtribune - Email: [email protected] www.TheHmongTribune.com
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Local Sports
To Report News or submit articles: Call (559) 709-5948 - facebook.com/thehmongtribune - Email: [email protected] www.TheHmongTribune.com
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Summer Showdown
Photos courtesy of Jerry Herand Riley Yang
By Jennifer Xiong, MPHProject Prevention Coalition Co-Founder
Four years ago, Project Prevention Coali-tion (PPC) began as a simple discussion at alocal coffee shop in downtown Merced, CA.Today it is one of the leading organizations inthe central valley that focuses on health dis-parities and research in the Hmong commu-nity. PPC’s mission is to eliminate healthdisparities in the Hmong community throughawareness, education, research, and advocacy.PPC uses unique approaches, ensuring theyprovide a space for multiple generations to col-laborate, focusing on it being community led,and utilizing Community-Based ParticipatoryResearch as a basis to increase organizationalcapacity to address and sustain long-termchanges in Hmong health disparities.
What sparked the formation was a smallseed planted by Stanford Asian Liver Center’sStephanie Chao, M.D., who left an entireroom of participants at the Hmong HealthDisparities Conference at UC Merced in May2010 in awe as she discussed the dramatic andunjust hepatitis B virus (HBV) disparities fac-ing Southeast Asians.
“No one in the 21st century should be suf-fering from this disease as it’s preventable andthere’s a vaccine!” she exclaimed. The HBV
vaccine is the first anti-cancer vaccinebecause it prevents liver cancer. Sheshared how the failure to mount an ef-fective global campaign to eradicateHBV has made it one of the mostneglected global epidemics.
More urgently, she revealed thatnearly 1 in 6 Hmong are chronicallyinfected with HBV and most do notknow that they have it. The high rateof HBV infection in the Hmong com-munity is attributed to several factors:transmission from mother-to-child,shared body fluids from an infectedindividual, and low vaccination rates.In addition, the failure of nationalcommitment to health is a huge causefor sustaining the virus over time.
For instance, in countries likeLaos, where a large proportion ofHmong in the U.S. immigrated from,citizens rely heavily on non-govern-mental organizations (NGOs) forhealthcare services. This poses a hugebarrier for the Hmong living in Laosas their villages are situated in themountainous terrains of the country. Ulti-mately, the lack of access to healthcare and
providers creates the perfect opportunity forthe HBV virus to flourish into successive gen-erations. Despite having to fight extreme cir-cumstances for their freedom in the AmericanWar in Vietnam, many Hmong came to theU.S. without knowing they were about to faceanother serious threat. “Hepatitis B is silentkiller,” states Linda Xiong, cofounder of Proj-ect Prevention Coalition. “Many don’t knowthey have it until it’s too late because it’s usu-ally detected in the more advanced stages ofliver cancer,” she adds.
Currently, there is very limited research onHepatitis B among the Hmong community,specifically in the central valley of California. Itis through an extensive chain of support fromcommunity members, researchers, United Wayof Merced, UC Merced college students, andprofessionals that allowed PCC to advance inthis area of research and to build the infra-structure needed to support this work. For in-stance, the support allowed PCC to build thefoundation of the organization through a 1-year research grant from the B Free CEED Na-tional Center of Excellence in the Eliminationof HBV Disparities. Through this grant, PCCwas able to complete a basic secondary analysisof HBV morbidity and mortality of theHmong in Merced, examine Hmong experi-ences with HBV, encourage HBV prevention,as well as inspire support for more intergener-ational collaboration. This grant provided thepreliminary lessons and early data for futuregrant opportunities and HBV work.
Moreover, the Southeast Asian ResourceAction Center (SEARAC) has also been in-strumental in helping PCC with leadership de-velopment and sustainability. TheirCommunity Leadership Project (CLP) grantallowed PCC to access expertise in building a
solid foundation for the coalition and to de-velop strategies for long-term engagement inthe community.
In addition, in the last year PCC has beenworking with a grant they received from Dig-nity Health Mercy Medical Center Merced.This resource gave PPC an opportunity to im-plement a HBV referral program, also knownas B Free Moms and Babies (BFMB). Thisprocess included working with doctors to referHBV infected Hmong mothers and their new-borns to Health Workers who will educatemothers and their families about the severityof the disease and the importance of newbornvaccination to ensure lifetime protection fromHBV. In addition, throughout this processPPC enriched their outreach efforts by usingcreative strategies to gain support from thecommunity. They were able to accomplish sev-eral successful family oriented events wherefamilies engaged in workshops on healthy eat-ing and physical activity, as well as participatedin the first World Hepatitis B walk-a-thon inMerced and a family photo day. PCC re-ceived positive responses from the communitythrough these events.
The next steps for PPC are to recruit indi-viduals who are interested and committed tobuilding a healthy Hmong community for gen-erations to come. Margaret Mead, the famousAmerican Cultural Anthropologist, once said,“Never doubt that a small group of thought-ful, committed citizens can change the world;indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Tojoin PPC, you can email us at [email protected] or to learn more about PPCand get the most recent updates, you can go toour Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectPreventionCoalition. We wel-come you to LIKE our page!
Using an Intergenerational approach toBuild a Healthier Hmong Community
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In the evening, we returned to Muong Nhetown, and enjoyed a dinner hosted by themayor of Muong Nhe. Five women dressed inethnic minority outfits joined us for this din-ner; three Hmong (all are married with chil-dren), one Hani, and one White Tai.
The dinner provided us an opportunity tointeract with these women and, as a result, welearned that most of the Hmong in MuongNhe district are new migrants from otherprovinces such as, for example, Ha Giang. Oneof these women is a teacher from Son La; shemarried a Hmong in Muong Nhe and came tolive with her husband’s family. She told us that,owing to being new migrants, the Hmong inMuong Nhe are much poorer than the Hmongof Son La. It should be noted here that up toseventy percent of the population of MuongNhe district are Hmong.
After breakfast on March 21, we said good-bye to our hosts in Muong Nhe and headed to-ward Lai Chau City. On the way, we stoppedby a field to chat with a group of Hmongwomen who worked a field just off the roadleading to the major avenue to Lai Chau andDien Bien City. They were friendly and well-clothed and well-fed, and were surprised to seeus and to hear us speaking Hmong. Some ofthese ladies are literate in Vietnamese and wereable to write their addresses for us. This was arare opportunity to interact with a group ofHmong women and it was very touching toshare a common language and feel the close-ness to each other this generated. After stop-ping, we said goodbye to our new friends andcontinued on our journey to Lai Chau City.
Stopping in Muong Lay, Dien Bien Phuprovince, for a brief lunch, we crossed theBlack River and continued on our route. Mostof the ancestors of the Hmong of Laos crossedthis river, so that many poignant thoughts ofMuong Lay and Muong Thanh (the Hmongcalled them Moos Theeb Moos Lais) came tous. On this drive to Lai Chau, we encounteredmany Hmong and passed through a number ofHmong villages. We also passed through many
steep, high passes between majestic peaks, tak-ing us across beautiful mountain ranges in LaiChau province, where numerous Hmong vil-lages are located; their terraced fields are botha symbol of beauty and of hard work. TheVietnamese call these terraced fields ‘Laddersto Heaven’, but, ironically, many Hmong thinkof them more as symbols of ‘Labor in hell’ dueto the fact that their construction has requiredintensive labor under severe conditions; andrequired, too, the carrying of rice from bottomto top or from top to bottom, depending onwhere the villages are located.
We arrived in Lai Chau City in the eveningand went straight to the Muong Thanh Hotel.Our dinner was hosted by the Chairwoman ofthe Provincial People’s Council, a Hmong.Aside from our wonderful dinner, we were en-tertained with traditional Hmong music suchas that of the Keng (Qeej), folksongs (kwv tx-hiaj), leaf blowing (tshuab nplooj) and flute(raj), all prepared specially for us. We couldeasily interact with each other in Hmong; theonly difference being that we say “Kuv”, whenreferring to I, that is, employing the first per-son pronoun, and use “Uv”, the same termHmong American children use when they aresmall.
We spent only one night in Lai Chau Cityand, the next day, we went straight to the townof Sapa, one of the top tourist attractions inVietnam. On the way, we stopped by variouslocations either to talk to Hmong venders orto enjoy scenic vistas, and arrived in Sapa be-fore noon to check into our hotel. After check-in, we were on our own to investigate the townof Sapa and its people; unfortunately, it wasfoggy, rainy, and wet, so we could not see thebeautiful local terraces and Hmong villages. Inthe afternoon, we went to visit a Hmong vil-lage and a half-built Catholic Church.
We briefly attended a Catholic mass and in-teracted with a few faithful. Curious, we alsostopped by a Hmong home and were enter-tained by the head of the household. Welearned that this family has been Catholic for
more than 100years, and theireconomy is quitesufficient; theyhave rice all year‘round, with, per-haps, some occa-sional shortfall inprotein. This wasa permanent settle-ment, which maymean that the
Hmong here are economically better off thanthe new migrants to Muong Nhe.
Dinner in Sapa was hosted by Mr. Hau ALeng, the Communist Secretary of Sapa town.
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Three of the five women. Photo by Kou Yang, 2014.
A half-built Catholic Church in a Hmong Village in Sapa
Continued in OurSeptember Issue
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