Basic information that teachers of English as a second language should know about Indochinese refugees, including the identification of different ethnic or regional groups and characteristics of four Indochinese languages, is presented. Indochinese refugees come from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The five major groups of people are unrelated ethnically and linguistically and the cultural differences are significant. Historically, the major cultural forces that influenced the region were the Indian in Cambodia and Laos and the Chinese in Vietnam. Historical influences in the Indochinese countries are briefly traced, and the refugee situation in these countries is examined. A few generalizations about cultural characteristics of the Indochinese and information about assimilation problems are considered. To assist the teacher of English in multiethnic classes, information is presented on: (1) which refugees can communicate with each other and which groups are compatible, (2) naming systems and pronunciation of names, (3) the languages of the five major groups (Vietnamese, Chinese, Lao, Hmong, and Cambodian) and the significant differences among them in phonetics and grammar. Information is presented on phonetics, tone, alphabets, grammar, and lexicon/semantics. Publications that give detailed analyses of the various languages are identified. (SW)