While space refers to the physical or geographical environment, place is shaped by the social, cultural, and emotional connections that give meaning to a space. Dispersed across the nation due to resettlement policy and secondary migration patterns, Southeast Asian American communities are rooted in their unique experiences as refugees. Secondary migration helped form strong ethnic enclaves such as Little Saigon in Orange County, California, and Cambodian Town in Long Beach, California.

For Laotian Americans, making a place is a personal and collective act of survival, memory, and cultural expression. Even when facing racial discrimination and navigating economic hardships, they actively create places of rich cultural significance, fostering a sense of familiarity, community, and belonging. Many Laotian American communities can be found in areas such as Little Mekong in St. Paul, Minnesota; Lowell, Massachusetts; Fresno, California; and Broussard, Louisiana. Although small, Laotian Americans continue to build communities in rural and urban areas, resettling their lives and establishing businesses, restaurants, cultural centers, and networks to assist with social services, job placement, and community building.

This module explores how Laotian Americans establish a sense of place and belonging in a new country and how they make sense and meaning of “home.”