After a brief description of the origins and languages of the three major groups of Indochinese refugees in the United States--Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians--and short references to subgroups, 20 observations on the general cultural traits of the Indochinese are given. These observations touch on the following: the importance of harmonious…

In 2002, the International Organization for Migration provided pre-arrival cultural orientation training to 905 Vietnamese Montagnard refugees living in a transit processing facility on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The training was specifically designed to prepare the refugees for third country resettlement to the United States. It provided tools…

In recent years, a growing literature has emerged that explores the role of culture in domestic violence for ethnic minority populations, including immigrants and refugees. This article presents qualitative data collected from Vietnamese refugee women through a research project in partnership with the Refugee Women's Alliance in Seattle,…

In an effort to address both the interests of Khmer and Vietnamese refugee students and the experiences of refugees making the adjustment to life in the United States, the Galang Refugee Processing Center developed a social language unit to add to the curriculum. The unit is designed to teach students socially appropriate ways to make and…

Immigrants leaving Vietnam through the Orderly Departure Program in Bangkok, Thailand, experience stress and difficulties very different from those endured by refugees fleeing by land or boat. The cultural orientation program addresses their needs to assimilate their loss, gain equilibrium, and get resettlement guidance and information. These…

The purpose of this booklet is to introduce Southeast Asian refugees to some American attitudes and social styles. The complete English text is repeated in Khmer (Cambodian language) and Vietnamese. Topics discussed include: America as a very young country; America as a mixture of different people; that urban life is complex, fast-paced, and…

The Preparation for American Secondary Schools (PASS) program, added to the federal Overseas Refugee Training Program in 1985, was evaluated for its effectiveness in preparing Southeast Asian refugees for American education. The study compared the school performance of students with PASS training to that of students who did not receive PASS…

"Cross Currents" is subtitled "an International Journal of Language Teaching and Cross-Cultural Communication." This special theme issue is devoted to the subject of Southeast Asian refugee education and contains 13 articles on refugee education (as well as 6 articles on other language teaching topics). The thematic articles…