In pictures: Hmong resettlement

1 of 8 The US is resettling thousands of Hmong refugees who have been living in Thailand since the end of the Vietnam war. This woman, Bao Vang, holds a picture of her dead husband, who worked for the CIA in Laos in the 1970s.

2 of 8 This picture of Bao Vang and her daughter was taken by an American in Laos in the early 1970s. The Hmong worked closely with US forces for many years in the fight against communism.

3 of 8 Refugees in Thailand's Wat Tham Krabok study a notice board pinned with lists of departees. The whole resettlement programme should be finished by 2005

4 of 8 Over half of the camp's occupants are under 14. Most have no shoes and have lived all their lives surrounded by razor wire.

5 of 8 Vang Houa, left, had to divorce her husband in order to become eligible for resettlement. She was his second wife, and strict polygamy laws in the US meant that the family had to break up.

6 of 8 St Paul-Minneapolis is home to the world's largest urban Hmong community. Many Hmong in the area have taken up farming, selling their flowers and vegetables at a weekly farmers' market.

7 of 8 Young Hmong Americans have embraced their new land with gusto. Hmong rappers, poets, rock musicians and artists are forging a new identity for the community.

8 of 8 The infrastructure for new Hmong refugees is now well established in St Paul. Although refugees who arrived in the 1970s and 80s found adjustment difficult, now there are numerous health and educational services tailored to the Hmong .