The Cambodian, Khmer are one of the oldest population groups in Indochina, occupying the Mekong valley and fertile plains from modern day northeast Thailand to southern Vietnam.
Their language is related to many languages spoken by hilltribe peoples of Laos and Vietnam, but is very different from Thai or Lao.
Prior to 1975, most Cambodians in North America came from children of upper income families or those having government-funded scholarships sent abroad to attend school. After the fall of Phnom Penh to the communist Khmer Rouge in 1975, a few Cambodians managed to escape. However, when the Khmer Rouge was overthrown in 1979, large numbers of Cambodians began immigrating to North America as refugees.
Cambodians maintain their unique identity by staying in touch with one another, no matter how far they might reside from one another.