Explore Key Topics - Escape & Survival - Initial Departure in 1975

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Approximately 120,000-130,000 Vietnamese and 5,000 Cambodians were evacuated to the U.S. in this initial stage, and by the end of 1975 the camps had been closed. The refugees arrived with very few personal belongings. They did not know if they would be returning home in the near future or where they would be resettled. After the Pathet Lao communists defeated the Royal Lao Army, U.S. planes helped evacuate 15, 000 Hmong to nearby countries, while more than 100,000 escaped on their own by land.

Reception of Refugees in the United States
The government of the United States accepted these initial “refugees” as a political statement to highlight the problems with communist regimes. In the 1970s, the United States was experiencing an economic recession, and national polls showed that the American public was not receptive to being burdened with Southeast Asian refugees. These sentiments also reflected American ambivalence about its involvement in and responsibility for the war.

The U.S. government monitored the dispersion of the refugees in locations across the United States , not wanting to overburden any local services or communities. The government also assumed that settling refugees in small groups throughout the nation would ensure their quick assimilation and lessen the level of hostility directed at the newcomers. Volunteer agencies (VOLAGs), which are private, non-sectarian, and religious charity organizations under contract with the U.S. government, helped the refugees from the four camps. These agencies assisted them by finding sponsors, such as relatives, religious organizations, companies, or host families, who could provide them with food, shelter, and other resettlement support.

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