The Hmong population of western North Carolina, the South Asian population of Houston, Texas, and the Vietnamese community of New Orleans all have very different stories of migration and have built different community structures reflecting their resources and needs. Yet they all share common ground in the origins of the United States’ relationship with Asia during the Cold War.

Houston’s South Asian population began with relationship-building programs with India, which brought more students and professionals to the United States. This small population served as the foundation as Asian immigration rose rapidly after new immigration legislation passed in 1965, with family members and new migrants joining the community.

The Vietnamese and Hmong populations migrated largely to escape the wars in Southeast Asia, coming through refugee camps and with the aid of different organizations. This module looks at each community’s growth and establishment in the 1970s and 1980s, and the organizations and institutions that have helped individuals to settle in the United States while also building a new ethnic American community.

In this module, we explore the stories of three communities started by immigrants and refugees who arrived in the US South after World War II and constructed communities in different ways, with a focus on community organizations and institutions as well as for-profit businesses.