Hmong and other Indigenous People The majority of the Vietnamese population is made up of ethnic Vietnamese (84%) and ethnic Chinese (2%) who for the most part tend to live in urban and coastal areas. The remaining population is made up of tribal groups whose ancestors came to Vietnam from other Asian countries and who are referred to as hill tribes, or "Hmong" as the French used to call them. These tribes make up about 50 different language and ethnic groups, and they live mainly in the mountainous area around the Red River Delta in the north of the country, and in the Central Highlands. Most hill tribe communities have a rural, agricultural lifestyle which is independent from mainstream Vietnamese life. Although there are varied communities of indigenous people, 60% of Hmong men were approached by the Central Intelligence Agency for special operations while the United States was in Southeast Asia. When the Vietnam War began in the 1960s, U.S. troops were forbidden by the Geneva Treaty from entering Laos. Under the veil of secrecy, the U.S. recruited and trained young Hmong men to help them fight against the Communists of North Vietnam. Their actions, also referred to as "the secret war," allowed Hmong soldiers to assist in slowing the flow of supplies over the Ho Chi Minh Trail from the North to South Vietnam. The Hmong were also asked to help rescue any downed U.S. Air Force Pilots and/or injured soldiers. At war's end in 1975, the Hmong people were attacked by leaders of the Communist party and supporters of the North Vietnamese (Viet Cong). These groups began prosecuting the Hmong people for their involvement with the U.S. Countless Hmong people were imprisoned, tortured, killed and sent to labor camps. Beginning in December 1975, thousands of Hmong people escaped to refugee camps in Thailand. They stayed there until they could be resettled in another country. Many Hmong people have immigrated to the United States and have established thriving communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina. Sources: - http://www.cal.org/co/hmong/hhist.html (accessed 21 Feb. 2012) - http://www.helium.com/items/1130891-how-and-how-not-to-build-a-global-community (accessed 21 Feb. 2012). - "Being Hmong Means Being Free" Wisconsin Public Television - Dujardin, Richard C. [1], "The Rhode Island News," Saturday, August 13, 2011