Memories of the Mekong

This project is an artistic interpretation of a pivotal part in Hmong history. My people had to cross the Mekong River after the Vietnam War, seeking refuge in Thailand.
Our people ran through the jungles of Laos for days to avoid persecution for helping the United States during the war, only for the Mekong river to be the final determining factor on who got to live another day.

During this mass evacuation, a lot of personal belongings and family history had to be left behind.
The journey itself was dangerous; I have heard stories of people being left behind in the jungle because they could no longer keep up with the group, stories about silencing infants and young children because an infant’s cries might give away their location to the soldiers hunting them. After all of these horrors, the final obstacle was to cross the Mekong River, where many of my people lost their lives due to exhaustion, keeping their children afloat, or not being able to swim.

This project, I hope, will be a reminder of the trauma our grandparents and parents went through for a chance of freedom.
That we, as the next generation of Hmong children, can appreciate what they have done and will not forget their sacrifice, as this event is our history.