They initially emigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, until finally settling in St. Paul, Minnesota, which has the largest Hmong population in the United States.
[1] Moua's mother worked in the local farmer's market, selling vegetables to support the family.
When Moua was diagnosed with endstage renal disease as a junior at St. Olaf College, she searched for inspiration and comfort in writing by her fellow Hmong-Americans.
She has taught creative writing to youth through the Jane Addams School for Democracy, COMPAS, and Success Beyond the Classroom.
Moua was also a pivotal figure in the creation of the Hmong American Institute for Learning, a non-profit organization based in Minnesota that focused on Hmong oral histories, the literary arts and the continued publication of the Paj Ntaub Voice Hmoob Literary Journal.