Capt. Nhia Ge Vang
SGU Veteran
Minneapolis, MN
File No.: 47/50
August 2024

Nhia Ge Vang was born in Xieng Khouang, Laos in 1940. He briefly attended elementary school. When the Secret War broke out, he was among the first group of young Hmong men recruited and sent to Padong military base to be armed and trained in guerrilla warfare. As the war proceeded, he worked in various military departments – including one that distributed food – in assisting the soldiers at home and at the frontline. When the war ended in May 1975, they resettled into a village that was controlled by the communist forces. Their lives were scrutinized daily by communist troops, and they were ordered to learn the communist ways of life. Soon, they feared for the worse since they were former US allies. In 1979, Vang along with about 1,000 Hmong escapees left Laos for Thailand. In 1980, he and his family immigrated to California. In 1990, they relocated to Minnesota for better job opportunities. ∆

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