Hmong people in remote region of Laos are still stuck in their old ways. Why are they still kidnapping young girls and forcing the girls' hands in marriage?
Forcing a Hmong woman to marry the kidnapper is common in Laos and Thailand among Hmong people who still practice Shamanism. It is even more common in remote region of Laos. Kidnapping the bride is so common that in fact it has become the norm, ingrained into their tradition. It hasn't always been like this when the Hmong were first making their way into Vietnam and Laos from southern China. Speaking of China, many young Hmong men have been recruited by Chinese men to "kidnap" Hmong girls and transport them to China. Since the early 2000s, the number of cases have been on the rise. If you don't know what "kidnapping" for marriage is in the old Hmong tradition, it's a "I will kidnap this young woman with the help of my friends, and then our side of the family will discuss the terms with her side of the family at a later date." Most women can't get out of this hostage situation, unless her family is wealthy and has enough gangster connections to forcibly take back their daughter.
