Mrs. Youa K. Vue
Secret War Survivor
Arden Hills, MN
File No.: 43/50
August 2024

Youa K. Vue was born in 1960 in Xieng Khouang Province, Laos. As a child, she did not attend school; instead she helped her family around the house while her brothers and father went to war. One brother was killed in action at Phou Pha Thi; his body was never recovered. Her father passed away of old age. When the war ended in 1975, she and her surviving family members went into the jungle to escape the communist troops. In 1979, she made a tough decision to leave her mother and siblings behind to escape the terror in Laos. Her mother and siblings did not want to leave as they feared of being killed or ambushed by communist troops along the way. Then, after days of walking, Youa and the group reached the Mekong River and crossed safely to Thailand. While on their way to Thailand, she met Xai Chou Xiong and married him. She said he agreed to protect her if the enemy attacked or anything else bad that might happen. By 1987, they came to the US. Her first job was in vegetable assembly labor that paid $4 an hour. Luckily, her mother and siblings survived and remained back in Laos. ∆

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