Witnesses to a Secret War

“Witnesses to a Secret War is a powerful documentary about a relatively unknown piece of American history--a story of betrayal, survival and hope.”

— Clint Eastwood

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. fought another war, a secret war, in neighboring Laos. The CIA recruited and trained ethnic Hmong to fight against the Communist forces there. In 1975, Laos fell to the Communists. The Hmong, abandoned by the U.S. and persecuted by the Communists, were forced to flee for their lives. Over the last 30 years, thousands of Hmong have re-settled in the US. But a small group remained in Thai refugee camps, unwilling to abandon their dream of returning home.

For many Hmong children who came to the US in the late 70's, the war remained a vague memory, almost like a dream. Cy Thao, KaYing Yang and Tzianeng Vang explore the story of the secret war they fled from with their parents while Xue Xiong, Mae Yia Thao and their seven sons begin their new life in America after 35 years as refugees in Thailand.

“An immigrant has a choice-- to come to America; but a refugee has no choice. You can either re-settle or be exterminated. You have no home to call home.”

— Tzianeng Vang

Stories from the war and the brutal aftermath are told by those who witnessed them-- soldiers, women, children, a nurse, an intelligence officer, the general who led the Hmong forces.

“It’s more than your father, your parents or somebody close to you dying. It’s your nation dying. It’s more than any experience you’ll ever have in your life. Because not just the past but the future is dying too.”

— Yia Lee, the last Hmong person to leave Long Cheng, Laos

This is the story of the Hmong people, who against all odds, survived a collision between personal history and the history of American politics in Southeast Asia.

Photos from the production

The Hmong Migration
by Cy Thao

Hmong artist Cy Thao came to the U.S. after the Vietnam War. During college, he realized his disconnection from his own history and that of the Hmong people. After five years of work, he completed a series of 50 paintings entitled The Hmong Migration, which depicts the story of the Hmong immigrant journey from Laos to Minnesota. The series is part of the permanent collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota.