Officers had for vang pao simply because he was a

officers had for Vang Pao simply because he was a Hmong, it was decided that all efforts to mount joint
operations between the Royal Army and Vang Pao’s forces were bound to end in disaster” (189).
“A Short History of Laos”
“What is most intriguing about the communist takeover of Laos in 1975 is the slow pace at which it was
executed. Victory by their allies in Vietnam did not lead to a sudden military assault on the Mekong towns in
Laos by the PL. This could only have been done with the help of Vietnamese troops, an option that was
unacceptable as it could have provoked reaction by the thais” (174).
Contextualization: In lecture and discussion, the Hmong we often brought up into class as the people who
lived in the highlands of Laos. These readings give a deeper look into what the Hmong have done to impact
Southeast Asia, who they were, and a history of what they’ve done. Along with that, a big accomplishment
of the Hmong was the construction of Colonial Road 7, along with that Hmong were often seen as allies
with the French, U.S, or Laos/Vietnam.
Questions:
1. What would have happened if the Hmong did not participate in this “secret war”?
2. Do you believe the Hmong had a large impact with their role in the Vietnam War? Why or why
not?
3. After the Vietnam War, what do you think the outcome of the Hmong who did not support
communist do?
4. What are possible reasons that the Hmong were still fighting, even after the United States left?