During the 1960s and 1970s, many Hmong helped the United States fight Communist forces in Southeast Asia in what came to be known as the “Secret War.” They became immediate targets of the new government when Saigon fell in 1975. Forced to flee their homeland in an effort to survive, many refugees eventually settled in Wisconsin, including Sheboygan which has one of the largest Hmong communities in the state today.

Born in the middle of the Secret War in Laos, Mai Zong Vue left with her family for Thailand in May 1975 and after spending almost five years in refugee camps, in 1980 she arrived with her family in Illinois with the help of a church sponsor. She later relocated to Wisconsin to join her oldest sister’s family. As the first in her family to graduate from college, Mai Zong Vue received her undergraduate degree from Lakeland College and her master’s degree from UW–Madison in 1997.

Drawing on scholarly research, interviews, and personal experience, Mai Zong Vue shares the varied stories of Hmong survival and hope in her book, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press as the latest addition to their People of Wisconsin Series. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the Museum and she will be available following the program for a book signing.