Welcome to the Hmong Romanized Popular Alphabet (RPA) Founders website
The Hmong, one of Asia’s oldest civilizations, are now spread across the world, from Southeast Asia to the United States, after centuries of migration. In 1952, Dr. Linwood Barney, Father Yves Bertrais, and Dr. William Smalley created the Hmong RPA in Laos, providing the Hmong people with their first written language. Today, the RPA is widely used for communication, education, and cultural preservation, making a lasting impact on the social and political development of the Hmong community worldwide.
What this website is for and who created it
This website is dedicated to the memory of Father Yves Bertrais and the founders of the Hmong Romanized Popular Alphabet (RPA) system, whose work has had a lasting impact on the Hmong community worldwide. It was created by Vue Yang, who was born in Nong Het, Laos, and later moved to Xieng Khouang after the defeat of the French in 1954. Vue began his education in Long Tieng and continued his studies in Vientiane before moving to Paris to study engineering. After a diverse career, including working in the United Arab Emirates and founding Hmong Sheboygan Radio in 1983, he established this site to honor the legacy of those who contributed to the development and preservation of the Hmong RPA.
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Txhais Cov Lus Teev Ntuj
Vocabulary for worship
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Txiv Plig Cov Lus
Father Yves Bertrais words
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Hais Saw Mab Liab
Rosary book
“Your language belongs to you, no one else can take away from you. No one can destroy it but you (the Hmong) only. How? By not speaking it, ignoring it, and not using it, your Language will fade and disappear.”
– Fr. Yves Bertrais