Review of "The Hmong and the Secret War"

Map of Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia

Vang Pao, the general of the Lao Army

In this review of “The Hmong and the Secret War” published by PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). There are a few things I want to inform the audience beforehand. The word “communism” means a belief of economic equality by eliminating all private properties and providing equal shares to everybody. A small country called Laos is located in Southern Asia and is between Vietnam and Thailand. And China above them. There are several minority groups in Laos such as Tai Dam (Tie Duhm), Iu Mien (Meihn), Hmong (Mong), Khmer, and more. The CIA stands for Central Intelligence Agency. The audience are those who have watched or is watching the documentary, no matter who it is. And those who want to be informed about this hidden historical moment in Laos. The audience who will watch the documentary will leave them with shock, information they have never knew about, change the perspective of America and possibly raise knowledge about the people who were affected and the history of Laos. So, I’d say they will like it hopefully. 

Tai Dam people

As the Vietnam War started, it is also similar to the Secret War in Laos because of communism that has caused a threat to Southern Asian countries. The cause of the two wars was the communism that could potentially spread in their countries. The Secret War involved the CIA, Hmong, Laotian people and minorities, some Americans, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. It first started as a Secret War which then led into a Civil War between Vang Pao who was the general in the Lao Army and communists. Many soldiers had died, many have seen their loved ones dead, many had to suffer, many had to move to a forgien country, and all had risked their lives. The interviews of the Hmong people and Vang Pao gave a powerful lift as the documentary goes on, hearing their stories of what they have seen with their eyes. In my life, I do not have any experiences or encounters with the war, but most of my family members have. My paternal grandma, her children (age ranges from 15-20), and her grandchildren (who were just born and some were toddlers) came to the US from a small province in Laos called Luang Namtha about 40 to 50 years ago while the Secret War was happening. My father came to the US when he was in his teens. When my dad was born in an unknown field out of nowhere, my late grandfather died from severe and critical injuries from several gunshots. With this tragic moment, it has caused unbearable pain to my family while trying to escape the violence of the brutal war. My family is Tai Dam which is one of the minority groups in Laos. Its population is small (about 1,000,000 people) so there is a sufficient amount of Tai Dam people all over the United States and Laos. But, they were one of the minority groups that were heavily affected in the Secret War, which is why it has caused those people including my family to flee their homes and moved for the better at the States. 

Map of the bombs planted in Laos

The article “In remembering Vietnam War, more stories of Lao refugees deserve to be told” by Bryan Thao Worra mentions how many people have made several poems by expressing their pain and experiences they have gone through, but they are not heard. But they do deserve to be heard. I agree with Worra because as I watched the documentary, it has left me in despair of knowing that many people have gone through so much trauma in a historical moment that has changed everything. But they had to be silent. I am shocked about the amount of bombings that have been dropped in Laos. PBS stated, “In 1964-1973 : To aid the Vietnam War, the Air Force increased bombing efforts in Laos along the Ho Chi Minh trail.” About “80 Million unexploded bombs lay scattered across the country--the deadly legacy of America’s Secret in Laos.” It frustrates me how this is not involved in almost ALL history books or it’s not even taught in history classes in schools about my family’s country Even if Laos was briefly mentioned in books, it should be mentioned profusely to all people. All deserve to know about the great damages in Laos and hear people’s voices about their pain, grief, and mixed emotions of fleeing their home because of violence and chaos in their homeland. They deserve to know what has America done to my family’s home. 

Overall, the documentary not only has taught me about my family’s native country, it has also left me in many emotions. There were moments that made my heart sank like hearing about the millions of bombs being planted, seeing corpses of the fallen soldiers, and felt empathy for those who tried to escape their homeland for the better. The documentary was informative, emotional, aware, and persuasive. It ended with a powerful ending of a father leaving a heartfelt message for his children. The article by Worra was very compelling, argumentative, and also impressive to persuade those to hear people’s stories of what they have faced that has changed their world forever. I recommend everybody to view the documentary and read the article to educate themselves of what has happened in the past decades of what America has done. 

Hmong and the Secret War
In Remembering Vietnam War

COVER MEMO : 

This following review was conducted on December 1, 2019. It includes my personal knowledge of Laos, my family, and my own culture. In this review, I have taken note of what I heard and saw in the documentary and connected it to my family’s experiences of what they encountered when they were immigrating from Luang Namtha, Laos to the United States. Also, I’ve connected my family’s history of trauma when they faced the Secret War. I left comments of what I felt and what I liked while I was watching the informative documentary. The purpose of this review is to inform those who didn’t know or want to know more about the most bombed country in the whole world. To hear people’s voices and feel what they have been scarred with forever. I wish those who are reading this to educate or learn about this country that has faced the most traumatic violence that have affected people emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I hope in the future, my roots of my family’s native land will be taught in history classes and will be mentioned in historical textbooks.