In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 17 April 1970
- Birthplace
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Country
- Cambodia
- Nationality
- Cambodian
- Known for
- Writing First They Killed My Father about childhood under the Khmer Rouge
- First memoir
- First They Killed My Father, 2000
- Later memoirs
- Lucky Child and Lulu in the Sky
- Film role
- Co-screenwriter of the 2017 adaptation
- Activism
- Landmines, women and peace education
Why this life matters
Loung Ung translated a child survivor’s memory into literature, activism and cinema, connecting intimate family history with public education about war and recovery.
Timeline
Key moments
Forced from Phnom Penh
The Khmer Rouge evacuation began a childhood of displacement, labour and family separation.
Resettled in the United States
Left a Thai refugee camp with an older brother and began a new life in Vermont.
Began peace activism
Worked in community education and later campaigned internationally against landmines.
Published her first memoir
First They Killed My Father brought a child’s account of the Khmer Rouge era to a wide readership.
Co-wrote the film adaptation
Worked with director Angelina Jolie on a Khmer-language production filmed in Cambodia.
A childhood divided by Democratic Kampuchea
Loung Ung was five when the Khmer Rouge evacuated Phnom Penh. Her family hid its urban and government connections while moving through rural labour sites; separation, military training and the deaths of close relatives shaped the memories she later wrote.
She left Cambodia with an older brother, passed through a Thai refugee camp and resettled in Vermont in 1980. Education and community work gave her new ways to place private grief within a wider history of forced migration and survival.
Memoir as public education
First They Killed My Father appeared in 2000 and was followed by Lucky Child and Lulu in the Sky. Together the books examine war, refugee resettlement, divided family experience and the long work of returning to Cambodia.
Ung also campaigned against landmines and violence and co-wrote the 2017 film adaptation of her first memoir. Her work demonstrates how survivor testimony can move between advocacy, classrooms, literature and a Cambodian-produced screen narrative.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Loung Ung
- Who is Loung Ung?
- Loung Ung is a memoirist, screenwriter and peace activist. Loung Ung translated a child survivor’s memory into literature, activism and cinema, connecting intimate family history with public education about war and recovery.
- What is Loung Ung best known for?
- Loung Ung is best known for writing First They Killed My Father about childhood under the Khmer Rouge.
- When and where was Loung Ung born?
- Loung Ung was born on 17 April 1970 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Sources and further reading
How this biography was checked
Core dates and offices are checked against the sources below. This profile was last reviewed on 9 September 2026.
