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Description
Don Han was born in Northern Laos in 1968. Being born in the midst of the Vietnam War and the Secret War in Laos, he lived most of this childhood in poverty. Don was born and raised in his parents’ house, which also functioned as the café business Don’s parents ran. This café was known for being one of the central gathering centers for foreigners. During the war, Don’s family had to hide out while the new government made its transition into Laos. During this time, Don’s family lost their business and had financial struggles. They decided to escape from the communist government in 1980, post Vietnam War. With family and friends, they all escaped to Thailand where they stayed at two different refugee camps throughout nine months. During that time, Don’s family applied to multiple countries for sponsorship. A church in Oakland, CA offered them a sponsorship and they moved to the U.S. where Don lost both of his parents and had to support himself. Don applied for citizenship and become a citizen of the U.S. He worked full time and went to college part time to attain a degree in Sociology. He now works at OC Human Relations as a Senior Human Relations Specialist. Don now has two sons who were born and raised in the U.S. who are now attending college. [Profile bio] Nelson Chan is a senior studying Accounting and Business Administration from Hong Kong. Mark Christenson is a senior studying Computer Engineering and Computer Science from Summit, New Jersey. Annie Kao is a senior studying Accounting from Taiwan. Mary Martikian is a junior studying Civil Engineering (Building Science) from Hollywood, California. All profilers are students at University of Southern California. [Profiler bio]
2nd generation American Communism Citizenship Communist Conflicts Culture shock Discrimination Don Han Escape Laos Laotian Laotian American Nationalization New government Northern Laos Post-Vietnam War Postwar Refugee Refugee Camp Experience Refugee Sponsorship Secret War Separation of family Thai Thailand Refugee Camp
Time Period
1968-2004
Place
Alameda California Laos USA Thailand Oakland
Source
University of Southern California [Contributing entity]
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