HMONG PEOPLE TODAY

I left the Homg people and headed to the Laos Vietnam border on an eight hour mini van ride through the mountainous region of eastern Laos. I traveled on one of the ancient footpaths used by the Viet Minh supplied leftist regime during the Laos civil war. These footpaths were later widened into transportation routes for the Viet Minh Regime of Ho Chi Minh during the Vietnam War. These infamous trails I traveled were the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The mountainous region of eastern Laos used by the Viet Minh Regime of North vietnam. 

As I leave the beautiful Hmong people I feel a sense of peace within each of us. I discussed politics while I was here and aftermath of war and the heartache and struggle to regain a proud heritage. My guide was Hmong and we talked of his elders and the issues of survival for his family. His parents remember vividly the hard times created by the war and the never ending struggle just to eat. He asked me a lot of questions and we talked for hours as we sailed down the Mekong River. We found each other fascinating and we became friends. In his honor I am posting the faces of the Hmong people as I see them. Their recovery and triumph justify their pride as a people and a testament to the human spirit. The faces of the Hmong people.