A Laotian American is a resident of the United States who was originally from Laos, a person of Laotian descent residing in America, or a citizen born in the United States whose parents were originally from Laos. Laotian Americans are included in the larger category of Asian Americans. The major immigrant generation were generally refugees who escaped Laos during the warfare and disruption of the 1970s, and entered refugee camps in Thailand across the Mekong River. They emigrated to the United States during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.
Although many Hmong people and Iu Mien are from Laos, they have a distinct culture, language and ethnicity, and identify as a different ethnic group. They generally identify as Hmong Americans and Iu Mien American, rather than Lao American. The "national origin" category of Laotian American, which is different than ethnic groups, includes all ethnic groups who lived within the borders of Laos, such as the Hmong, ethnic Chinese, ethnic Vietnamese, and ethnic French or other Europeans.
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