The refugees feeding a nation

After the Vietnam War, France relocated a small group of 45 Hmong refugees from Laos to its overseas territory in South America, called French Guiana.

The Hmong people were fleeing persecution from the communists, because they were long-time allies of France and had fought with US forces.

Forty years later, French Guiana is now heavily reliant on the food that these refugees and their descendants grow in farms deep in the Amazon jungle. It’s said they are a true immigration success story, but this happy ending was not always guaranteed.

Film by Daisy Walsh, Tommy Chavannes and Jilla Dastmalchi.