The Washington State Historical Society has a new exhibit on the history of Washington Southeast Asian refugees after the Vietnam war. This is a temporary exhibit at the museum that opened on Nov. 11, 2025 and closes July 12, 2026. 

The exhibit “Our Voices” tells the stories of refugees from Southeast Asia and the people who worked with them. The overlook of the exhibit is how Washington opened up to refugees from countries such as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. 

The entire exhibit is captioned in English, Vietnamese, Khmer, and Lao. These translations are provided for every display they have because these are the official languages of the countries people took refuge from. 

The exhibit features pictures and physical objects with captions to tell these stories. One picture shows people escaping on a rooftop to a helicopter. Saigon fell on April 30, 1975, which is when hundreds of thousands of people had to leave their homes. They also have multiple depictions of what life as a refugee was like in both leaving the country and coming to a new one with very little. 

The Vietnam War started between southern and northern Vietnam over attempts to unify the country under a communist government. The United States was very scared of communism at this time and joined southern Vietnam in the fight against communism. During the war, America expanded the conflict to Laos and Cambodia. They did this to be able to try and cut off supply lines into northern Vietnam. They also wanted to eliminate safe spaces for communists.

The war ended in 1975. The refugees moved here to be able to build a new life with the help of the government. Programs were put in place to set up refugees with host families to help with housing and employment. The exhibit shares stories of refugees and their descendants about their experience immigrating here. 

The reason for the mass emigration from these countries was because of government changes and policies. Most people who immigrated to the United States were fleeing communist governments in their home country, trying to leave war lands, or were facing retaliation from their governments.

The first place that most refugees landed when coming to America was a refugee camp. Many refugees were welcomed in Washington to Camp Murray. There were also camps in other states like California with Camp Pendleton. Many people left by boat and were at sea for weeks before reaching shore where some were picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard or found shore themselves. 

In the government sponsored programs, refugees were set up with a host family. This was to allow them housing and a way to acclimate to life in America. The refugee camps were set up for people to get their papers processed in a more streamlined fashion, who would then go to a host family. 

Classes were created to help refugees learn about life in America. They were made in part by the government and volunteers. They were taught basic English to be able to communicate and prepare them for employment. The main purpose of these classes was to get them employed as quickly as possible so they didn’t have to rely on welfare. The classes were taught by volunteers and sometimes prerecorded lessons. 

Even though there was a refugee camp in California, California’s Governor at the time, Jerry Brown, didn’t want them living in the Golden State. He was worried about increasing unemployment rates and the toll that many people would take on welfare programs. 

The Governor of Washington, at the time, Dan Evans, was upset because he believed we should be loyal to our allies. He then had staff member, Ralph Munro, go to Camp Pendleton to ask refugees to settle in Washington. This effort is why Washington has one of the largest Vietnamese populations in the nation. 

The exhibit is located on the third floor of the building, directly in front of the staircase. This museum also has multiple accessible entrances. The building has two different working elevators that give people access to the basement, first, second, and third floors. 

This exhibit not only showcases Washington’s part in the resettlement of Southeast Asian refugees, but the refugees experience from evacuation to new life in America. This is a great walkthrough to help your understanding of Washington history as well as the stories and perspectives you wouldn’t hear in history class.