Chong Kou Vang

Listen to your parents and to your teachers. Have fun in learning. Learning is the key for success. To achieve you need to dream. You have to learn everyday.

Chong Kou Vang

My name is Chong Kou Vang. I was born the year of 1950, in Laos. My mom took me to a school to become a teacher. At that time the homes weren’t close to the school and we had to go to the school very far away. I liked kids. I taught science and history and math.

Laos is different from the United States. Laos is very poor. People are so poor. We farmed for a living. We cooked with firewood. We had no water. We had to go to the river to carry water to the house. My mom worked the hardest in our family.

During the Vietnam War the Hmong people helped American soldiers and pilots. At that time General Vang Pao promised help to work together with the United States.

After the Communists took over Laos in 1975, we couldn’t stay there anymore. We had to run and go to Thailand so we won’t die. The whole town left when it was dark. Everybody packed belongings on their back. We went into the forest. Some had knives and guns that were with us. We had to hurry up. So that whole night we had to get to the Mekong River. Many people died trying to cross the river.

We became refugees and had to go to Thailand. The refugee camp was terrible. There was little food. When you live there you get sick everyday. Several thousand people lived there.

The Americans opened up their doors to the Hmong to come to the United States. My cousin sponsored us to come to New Jersey. It was very hard to live here. We don’t speak any English. I went to adult school to learn English. I was going to school.

Then we moved to California, where I worked at Fresno Public School as a custodian. My wife and I had nine children. They all went to school. Then we came to Minnesota and now I work as a custodian for Valley View Elementary School in Columbia Heights.

What are my dreams? I would like to teach but I’m kind of old now. The dream I have for myself is for my children. I want them to have a good life, so they don’t have to suffer like me.