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A Laotian American is a resident of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 who was originally from Laos
Laos

Laos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west....
 or whose parents were originally from Laos. They constitute one group of Asian American
Asian American

Asian Americans are United States of Asian people. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and others whose national origin is from the Asia....
s.

Although many Hmong people
Hmong people

The terms Hmong and Mong refer to an Asian ethnic group in the mountainous regions of southeast Asia. Hmong are also one of the largest sub-groups in the Miao people minzu population in southern China....
 are from Laos
Laos

Laos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west....
, Hmong Americans are usually not considered to be Lao American because they are not of the Lao
Lao people

The Lao are an ethnic group of Tai ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. The vast majority of Lao people live in Laos ....
 ethnic group.

However, the category of Laotian American includes the Hmong and other Laotian groups, as well as Ethnic Chinese
Overseas Chinese

Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese people birth or descent who live outside the territories administered by the rival governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China ....
, Ethnic Vietnamese, and white Laotians of French blood
French people

French people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law....
 from Laos.

ian immigration to the United States was at its height after the Vietnam War
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
.

Most Laotian Americans live in the states of Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
, Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
, Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, Kansas
Kansas

The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
, Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
, Oregon
Oregon

Oregon is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers....
, Washington
Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
, Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
 or Rhode Island
Rhode Island

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a U.S. state in the New England region of the United States....
.






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A Laotian American is a resident of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 who was originally from Laos
Laos

Laos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west....
 or whose parents were originally from Laos. They constitute one group of Asian American
Asian American

Asian Americans are United States of Asian people. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and others whose national origin is from the Asia....
s.

Although many Hmong people
Hmong people

The terms Hmong and Mong refer to an Asian ethnic group in the mountainous regions of southeast Asia. Hmong are also one of the largest sub-groups in the Miao people minzu population in southern China....
 are from Laos
Laos

Laos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west....
, Hmong Americans are usually not considered to be Lao American because they are not of the Lao
Lao people

The Lao are an ethnic group of Tai ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. The vast majority of Lao people live in Laos ....
 ethnic group.

However, the category of Laotian American includes the Hmong and other Laotian groups, as well as Ethnic Chinese
Overseas Chinese

Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese people birth or descent who live outside the territories administered by the rival governments of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China ....
, Ethnic Vietnamese, and white Laotians of French blood
French people

French people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law....
 from Laos.

History and demographics

Laotian immigration to the United States was at its height after the Vietnam War
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
.

Most Laotian Americans live in the states of Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
, Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
, Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, Kansas
Kansas

The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
, Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
, Oregon
Oregon

Oregon is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers....
, Washington
Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
, Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
 or Rhode Island
Rhode Island

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a U.S. state in the New England region of the United States....
. There are also large communities in Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a U.S. state and a sovereignty located in the South Central United States and Southern United States of the United States of America ....
, Iowa
Iowa

The State of Iowa is a U.S. state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It is bordered by Minnesota to the north, Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Nebraska and South Dakota to the west, and Missouri to the south....
, Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
, and Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
. There are about over 200,000 ethnic Lao in America. 8,000 - 11,000 more Americans are mixed with another ethnic group and Lao. Ethnic Lao would be considered both Lao American and Laotian American.

Cities or regions with significant Laotian Americans include the Bay Area (numbering at about 11,545), the Sacramento metropolitan area
Sacramento metropolitan area

The Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, California Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as the Sacramento metropolitan area or Greater Sacramento, is an area consisting of four counties in California's Central Valley and El Dorado foothills, anchored by the city of Sacramento, California....
 (9,814), Minneapolis – Saint Paul (7,576), Dallas-Fort Worth (7,500), Seattle-Tacoma (7,127), San Diego (7,002), Fresno
Fresno

Fresno is a Spanish language word for ash tree.It could refer to several places:Colombia* Fresno, TolimaSpain* Fresno, a ghost village in Nid?liga, Valle de Sedano, Burgos...
 (6,381), Providence
Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the Capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States....
 (6,291) Smaller Laotian communities can be found around Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River . The population was 110,257 at the 2000 United States Census; a 2007 census estimate put the Lafayette, Louisiana metropolitan area's population at 256,494....
 and southeastern Washington
Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
.The population of Laotian Americans in The Pacific Northwest is roughly 20,000.

The vast majority were estimated to live in the West (95,574), followed by the South (44,471), Midwest (37,820), and Northeast (15,382).

Buddhist Temples

Many Cities with a Laotian American population have constructed Buddhist temples. Examples of these include Wat Lao Buddhavong located outside of Washington DC, Wat Lao of S. Farmington, Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
, Wat Lao Buddhamamakaram of Columbus, Ohio, and Wat Lao Mixaiyaram and Wat Lao Dhammacetiyaram of Seattle, Washington.

Music

A number of Laotian American musicians have achieved some renown, such as the members of the Royal Lao Orchestra in Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
 and the traditional singer Khamvong Insixiengmai of Fresno, California
Fresno, California

Fresno is a city in California, USA, the county seat of Fresno County, California, and the second largest inland city in the state, after San Jose, California....
.

Media

The first national Laotian American publication, Lao Roots Magazine, was released in 2007. The English language magazine is geared towards the younger generation Laotian American community. Published in San Diego, CA by a small volunteer staff the magazine has reached wide spread national circulation within the Laotian American community.Recently a movie called The Betrayal(Nerakhoon)was directed by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath.The story about the epic story of a family forced to emigrate from Laos after the chaos of the secret air war waged by the U.S. during the Vietnam War. Kuras has spent the last 23 years chronicling the family's extraordinary journey in this deeply personal, poetic, and emotional film.The film also has won a Spectrum Award for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and is nominated for an Oscar for best documentary.

Portrayal in fiction


Perhaps the most famous Laotian American family is not a real one, but rather the animated Souphanousinphone family, found on the television show King of the Hill
King of the Hill

King of the Hill is an Television in the United States List of animated television series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, for the Fox Broadcasting Company....
.

The subject of Jamie Wyeth's masterpiece Kalounna in Frogtown depicts a Laotian American.

See also

  • Lao people
    Lao people

    The Lao are an ethnic group of Tai ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. The vast majority of Lao people live in Laos ....
  • Hmong people
    Hmong people

    The terms Hmong and Mong refer to an Asian ethnic group in the mountainous regions of southeast Asia. Hmong are also one of the largest sub-groups in the Miao people minzu population in southern China....
  • Laos Memorial
    Laos Memorial

    The Laos Memorial is a small memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, located between the path to the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknowns, in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States....
  • List of Laotian Americans
    List of Laotian Americans

    This is a list of notable Laotian Americans.This list does not include Hmong Americans, who can be found in List of Hmong Americans....