NATION/WORLD

My life’s journey began in Savannakhet, Laos, in the year of 1978. I was born into a diligent family; my father worked at the hospital, and my mother managed a convenience store.

In the vibrant tapestry of life, some threads hold a deeper significance than others. My personal journey, Joy Christine Ngaosivath, or “Miss Joy,” as I’m known in the Las Vegas music scene, is one woven with the melodies of my Lao heritage.

My parents never wanted to leave their beloved home country of Vietnam. After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, they both had no choice.

The majority of Asian Americans view the U.S. positively and see it as the world’s leading economic power of the next decade.

Nestled inside the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, VA – is a museum cloaked in secrecy. A museum at CIA headquarters? I couldn’t believe it either, but it’s true!

50 Years Ago, On August 14th, 1973, The Last American Bombs Fell On Laos In Bolikhamxay Province – We Aren’t Calling It An Anniversary, Here’s Why

Not long before my seventh birthday, in August 1970, my family moved to Laos. My dad worked for the government, and we had just spent two years on the island of Cyprus.

We observe National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month each July to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States.

LAOSD was co-founded by Pida Kongphoutone and Bobbie Oudinarath in September 2018. It is a grass roots, community based, all volunteer organization based out of San Diego.

It was a dark and eerily quiet boat ride under the cover of darkness when my mother, father, older brother and I escaped Laos in 1978 after the American Secret War.