Vietnam 50 Years Later: MN welcomes war refugees with open arms

The bequest of Minnesota’s Vietnam War-era refugees

The bequest of Minnesota’s Vietnam War-era refugees 02:10

The Vietnam War started successful 1955, astir 8,000 miles distant from the U.S. successful the dense and distant jungles of South Vietnam. While the U.S. dilatory deployed into Vietnam successful the 1950s, the afloat deployment of combat units began successful 1965.

Fighting would soon dispersed to Laos and Cambodia, with the CIA recruiting and grooming thousands of Hmong people to combat connected behalf of Americans during a clandestine cognition successful Laos known arsenic the "Secret War."

But the effort to halt the dispersed of communism successful Southeast Asia failed connected April 30, 1975 with the autumn of Saigon, erstwhile U.S. troops evacuated the country. According to the National Archive, much than 58,220 Americans were killed successful the war.

As galore arsenic 3.5 cardinal Vietnamese radical were killed, including soldiers connected some sides of the struggle and civilians.

More than 80,000 Hmong soldiers and refugees besides died, arsenic did 20,000 Laotians.

Gov. Anderson's resettlement plans

Minnesota has a affluent past of welcoming refugees to the state, and were among the apical 10 states crossed the state to bash truthful pursuing the war's end.

In October 1975, Minnesota had received the highest fig of Southeast Asian refugees successful the Midwest, according to then-Gov. Wendell Anderson.

But the politician was thinking, long-term, however would these refugees get the services they needed successful the state? What benignant of assistance would they request successful the future? And however would they accommodate and win successful a spot with a wholly antithetic civilization and language?  

The Teng Lo household arrives astatine MSP Airport to the affectional invited of their comparative connected May 1, 1981. The Hmong household had been successful the Ban Vinai exile campy successful Thailand earlier flying to Minnesota. Stormi Greener/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images

In December 1975, Anderson established the Indochinese Resettlement Office, which aboriginal became the Refugee Programs Office successful 1981. The bureau worked with groups similar Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services and the American Red Cross, on with section families, religion groups and assemblage organizations to sponsor exile families and helped them settee into their caller homes.

Anderson besides created the Indochinese Refugee Task Force to counsel his office, which included representatives from societal work organizations, the Vietnamese-American Association, the Cambodian exile community, the departments of welfare, employment services and education, and the backstage sector.

The task unit had 2 main jobs: Collect information astir Southeast Asian households successful the authorities and supply accusation astir classes, programs and caller laws to the exile community.

The task unit would besides aboriginal marque efforts to code radical discrimination, hiring bias and connection barriers that refugees faced erstwhile arriving successful Minnesota.

Best estimates show that contiguous successful Minnesota, determination are much than 16,000 Laotian immigrants; much than 33,000 Vietnamese immigrants; and astir 12,000 Cambodian immigrants.

And with astir 95,000 Hmong immigrants, Minnesota is location to the largest attraction of Hmong successful America.

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This communicative is portion of Pauleen Le's documentary "Vietnam 50 Years Later: Reflection connected a War that Changed Minnesota."

Join WCCO connected Wednesday, May 7 astatine 5 p.m. for a peculiar screening astatine Concordia College successful St. Paul — hosted by the Center for Hmong Studies:

• Buenger Education Center (BEC)
• 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
• Attendees are encouraged to parkland successful Lot A, Carroll Street oregon Syndicate Street

Watch the afloat documentary below, or on our YouTube channel.

A WCCO Special: "Vietnam 50 Years Later" 59:21

In:
• Immigration
• Refugee