Vietnamese Refugees, 1975
Iowa Responds
The Right Thing to Do
Iowa Responds to Tai Dam 
Iowans Open Their Hearts
Life as a Refugee
Iowa Benefits From Refugees
It Wasn’t Just Politics
The Need is Immediate
A Big Leap for Iowans
Refugees Enrich Iowa
Iowans Became Aware of Diverse CulturesIowa Invites Southeast Asian Refugees
During
the 1800s Iowa was seen as a "land of opportunity" by many ethnic
groups. Thousands of people came to the Midwest to improve their lives by
farming, trading and building new towns. Not all settlers who wanted a better
life came to Iowa in the 1800s. Some arrived much later.
The Tai Dam (tie dom) of Vietnam began arriving in Iowa in 1975. The Tai Dam
refugees had been invited to resettle in Iowa by Governor Robert Ray. They
originally were from northwestern Vietnam. Between 1954 and 1975 war in Vietnam
forced many of them to flee to the nearby countries of Laos and Thailand.
Another ethnic group, the Hmong (mung) originally from China who migrated
to Laos, also fled to refugee camps in Thailand.
"I dropped my tears"
Khao Baccam remembers his family
trying to escape the fighting in Vietnam when he was seven years old. "My
parents moved me frequently, fleeing from war and persecution. I did not know
where we were going. I just held onto my mother's hand and she kept on dragging
me along."
Khao's family settled in Laos, where they remained for 21 years. After war
started in Laos Khao and his family fled to Thailand. In 1975 they settled
in Iowa. Over 2600 Tai Dam refugees settled in Iowa.
Many of the refugees from Vietnam and Laos escaped in overcrowded boats. Khao
had to leave everything but $100 behind. By the time he arrived in Iowa, he
had "nothing at all." Other refugees even had to leave some members
of their family behind. A Lao woman named One Lo Thi tells how her daughter and four grandchildren
"didn't get to come along [from Laos to Thailand] because [the person
helping us escape] was in a hurry and couldn't get them all. I dropped my
tears crossing [the Mekong River].''
Coming to Iowa
Individuals, families, communities
or church groups in Iowa "sponsored" Tai Dam families. When One
Lo Thi and her husband Vong Lo Van arrived in Iowa, their relatives and their
sponsors helped them find a home, get health checkups, study English and find
jobs. Vong detassled corn near Mt. Pleasant and studied writing, reading,
and speaking for eight hours a day.
Relatives brought silverware, linens and clothing to the couple. Unlike the
Vong's home in Laos, their house in Iowa had running water, electricity, heat,
air conditioning and a refrigerator.
Life was easier and more peaceful in Iowa, but many Tai Dam immigrants missed
their friends, relatives and the customs of their homeland. "I was lucky
to have the chance to come and live here," says Khao Baccam. But he adds
that his "memories in the homeland . . . make me think and miss home."
Older Tai Dam immigrants like One Lo Tni worry that, "However happy we
are, we can't forget our people over there [in Vietnam and Laos]. Younger
generations, five or ten years from now, might not know, not understand all
these things." Tai Dam immigrants want their children to learn the Tai
Dam language and customs, and to keep alive the stories of their parents'
struggles.
"We have stronger social ties, a stronger love and cooperation than Americans,"
says One Lo Van. His wife adds, "The love between the Tai Dam [can't
be thrown away.]"
