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Hmong people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hmong people
Flower Hmong in traditional dress at the market in Bac Ha, Vietnam
Total population
4 to 5 million[1]
Regions with significant populations
People's Republic of China
3 million
Vietnam
787,604 (1999)
Laos
460,000 (2005)
United States
221,948 (2008)[2]
Thailand
151,080 (2002)
France
15,000
French Guiana
1,500
Canada
600
Germany
500
Languages
Religion
Shamanism, Buddhism, Christianity, others
The Hmong (RPA: Hmoob/Moob, IPA: [m̥ɔ̃ŋ]), are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity (苗族) in southern China. Hmong groups began a gradual southward migration in the 18th century due to political unrest and to find more arable land.
A number of Hmong people fought against the communist Pathet Lao during the Laotian Civil War. Hmong people were singled out for retribution when the Pathet Lao took over the Laotian government in 1975, and tens of thousands fled to Thailand seeking political asylum. Thousands of these refugees have resettled in Western countries since the late 1970s, mostly the United States but also in Australia, France, French Guiana, Canada, and South America. Others have been returned to Laos under United Nations-sponsored repatriation programs. Around 8,000 Hmong refugees remain in Thailand.[4]
