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Twin Cities is known as the ‘Hmong Capital of the World’
The first Hmong family arrived in Minnesota in December 1975. In the 50 years since their arrival, an estimated 95,000 to 100,000 Hmong people now call the state home. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, 360,000 people in the U.S. identify as Hmong. While California is the state with the largest Hmong population, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area is home to the largest urban Hmong population in the country.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota has the second largest Hmong population in the U.S.
Hmong in Minnesota
Big picture view:
The first Hmong family arrived in Minnesota in December 1975. In the 50 years since their arrival, an estimated 95,000 to 100,000 Hmong people now call the state home. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, 360,000 people in the U.S. identify as Hmong.
While California is the state with the largest Hmong population, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area is home to the largest urban Hmong population in the country.
Hmong refugees resettled in the U.S. after helping the CIA during the Secret War
The backstory:
The Hmong are an ethnic group who originated from southern China. They were pushed south by Imperial Chinese expansion and ended up living in the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia.
During the Vietnam War, the CIA recruited the Hmong as surrogate soldiers to fight communism in Laos, since American forces were not allowed in the country. This covert operation in Laos became known as the Secret War.
When the U.S. pulled out of Southeast Asia in the mid-1970s, the Hmong were persecuted for their role in the Secret War.
Many were captured by communist forces and taken to re-education and concentration camps where they died of starvation or were worked to death. Many other Hmong people tried to flee south to Thailand.
Thousands of them drowned or were shot trying to cross the Mekong River. Those who made it into Thailand were taken to refugee camps, before they were resettled in the United States and other western countries.
The Hmong culture is very family-oriented and that played a role in why so many Hmong people moved to Minnesota.
The first Hmong families were sponsored by agencies like Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services and Church World Services, who helped them secure housing, jobs, welfare and adjust to their new home. As those first Hmong families became more stable, they began sponsoring relatives from Thai refugee camps. Over time, the Hmong community in Minnesota grew, which drew in even more families who wanted to reunite with family.
Minnesota is home to thousands of Hmong entrepreneurs
Local perspective:
In the 50 years since their arrival in Minnesota, many Hmong have become entrepreneurs. According to Concordia University Economics professor Dr. Bruce Corrie, there are an estimated 9,000 Hmong-owned businesses with over $1 billion in sales. Corrie estimates the Hmong economy in Minnesota at more than $2 billion and includes over a billion dollars in buying power.
"Go and board up every house owned by Hmong people. Board up every business that are owned by Hmong people, you will see the impacts of the Hmong community on the state of Minnesota," says Lee Pao Xiong, founding director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University. "The Hmong are extremely entrepreneurial."
The Hmong people have also played a very prominent role at farmers markets in the state of Minnesota.
Many of the Hmong were subsistence farmers in Laos. When they first arrived in the U.S., some of them used this agricultural heritage to make a living. That has grown exponentially in the past decades.
According to the Hmong American Farmers Association, Hmong American farmers make up more than half of the vendors at farmers markets in the Twin Cities. Their crops range from fruits and vegetables to flowers.
Hmong celebrations in Minnesota draw thousands of people from around the world
There are several prominent Hmong events held in Minnesota every year. Here they are:
Hmong Special Guerrilla Units Remembrance Day
May 14 is Hmong Special Guerrilla Units (SGU) Remembrance Day in Minnesota. The date is important to the Hmong community because on May 14, 1975, the Hmong military base in Long Cheng, Laos fell to communist forces, symbolizing the start of their journey as refugees.
The Hmong community gather at memorial sights to honor the 35,000 fallen SGU soldiers as well as family members who died during the Secret War.
Hmong International Freedom Festival
The Hmong International Freedom Festival is the longest Hmong sports event in the country and includes competitions in soccer, volleyball, flag football, corn hole, speak takraw (kato) and top-spin (tub lub).
The two-day event has been going on for more than 40 years and has drawn people from all around the world to McMurray Fields in St. Paul. Some years, attendance has reached nearly 60,000 people.
Hmong Minnesota Day
This year, 2025, marked the 10 years of Hmong Minnesota Day at the Minnesota State Fair. The cultural celebration at Dan Patch Park features performances from music artists and dance troupes.
Hmong Minnesota Day was founded by the late Tou Ger Xiong as a way to celebrate his heritage and his community. The artist, activist and community leader was killed while on vacation in Colombia.
Hmong New Year
The Hmong New Year is an important annual tradition for the Hmong people that’s held during November and December and includes both public and private observances.
For the Hmong who still practice the traditional religion of animism, it’s an opportunity for them to honor their ancestors and ask for blessings for the upcoming year.
The Hmong New Year is also a way for them to give thanks for the harvest and welcome the new year. People wear brightly colored traditional clothing to watch dance, singing and pageant competitions. Single Hmong people can also participate in a traditional courtship ritual called pov pob, where they toss a cloth ball back and forth and sing traditional songs or exchange trinkets if they drop the ball. Since the early 2000s, Minnesota’s Hmong New Year celebration has been held at the Saint Paul River Centre on Thanksgiving weekend.
'Hmong in Minnesota: 50 Years of Resilience' documentary
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Hmong in Minnesota: Reflecting on 50 years
FOX 9 executive producer Panhia Yang and anchor Chenue Her discuss our new documentary "Hmong in Minnesota: 50 Years of Resilience."
Watch:
A new FOX 9 documentary "Hmong in Minnesota: 50 Years of Resilience" dives into the journey of Hmong refugees in America 50 years after the fall of Vietnam. Interviews and historical footage illustrate the success of Hmong families as well as the cultural challenges they faced as they resettled in Minnesota. Hmong Americans in Minnesota, spanning multiple generations, also share their hopes for the next 50 years.
"Hmong in Minnesota: 50 Years of Resilience" premieres at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 on FOX 9+ and streaming on FOX LOCAL and FOX9.com. You can watch the documentary on-demand on FOX LOCAL, FOX LOCAL Mobile, YouTube and FOX9.com.