119-sres321

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 321 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 321

 Commemorating 30 years of diplomatic relations between the United 
 States and Vietnam on July 11, 2025.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 15, 2025

 Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Daines) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Commemorating 30 years of diplomatic relations between the United 
 States and Vietnam on July 11, 2025.

Whereas, since the end the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have 
 resettled in the United States and built vibrant communities across the 
 United States, which contribute to the rich diversity of our Nation;
Whereas the joint efforts across the administrations of President Ronald Reagan 
 and President George H.W. Bush to address questions surrounding United 
 States service members missing in action

    (MIA) set the foundation for 
 the normalization of bilateral relations between the United States and 
 Vietnam;
Whereas, between 1991 to 1993, the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs of the 
 Senate conducted public hearings and issued an extensive report on the 
 prisoner of war

    (POW) and MIA issue, helping to lay the domestic 
 political foundation for the breakthroughs in subsequent United States-
 Vietnam relations;
Whereas the efforts to identify and return the remains of service members 
 missing in action on both the United States and Vietnamese sides, 
 alongside unexploded ordnance removal, dioxin remediation, disability 
 programs supporting survivors impacted by these war remnants, and 
 efforts to continue public education on these topics, collectively built 
 the foundation for ongoing war legacy programs in Southeast Asia, which 
 are a vital component of the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and 
 the United States;
Whereas 

section 521 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 
 1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-236) expressed the Senate's support for 
 the normalization of relations with Vietnam and sent an important 
 political signal to the Executive branch on moving ahead with diplomatic 
 normalization;
Whereas, on February 4, 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton lifted of the trade 
 embargo in place since the end of the Vietnam War, in turn paving the 
 way to the announcement of a normalization of relations between the 
 United States and Vietnam on July 11, 1995;
Whereas significant progress has been made in the bilateral relationship since 
 the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and 
 Vietnam, leading to significant cooperation between the government and 
 peoples of the United States and Vietnam in an array of areas, extending 
 to political, economic, and cultural ties;
Whereas, in January of 2001, Congress passed the bipartisan Vietnam Education 
 Foundation Act of 2000 (title II of division B of Public Law 106-554) to 
 promote reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam through an 
 international exchange program between the 2 countries, which allowed 
 Vietnamese nationals to pursue advanced studies in the United States and 
 United States citizens to teach in the fields of science, mathematics, 
 medicine, and technology in Vietnam;
Whereas, in September and October of 2001, respectively, the House of 
 Representatives and the Senate approved measures to implement a 
 bilateral trade agreement negotiated during the Presidency of Bill 
 Clinton, which was subsequently signed into law by President George W. 
 Bush on October 3, 2001;
Whereas, in December 2006, Congress granted permanent normal trade relations 
 status to Vietnam under title IV of division D of the Tax Relief and 
 Health Care Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-432);
Whereas, on July 25, 2013, President Barack Obama and Vietnam President Truong 
 Tan Sang agreed to establish a comprehensive partnership between Vietnam 
 and the United States based on the principles of respect for the United 
 Nations Charter, international law, respect for political institutions, 
 independence and sovereignty, and each other's territorial integrity;
Whereas, on May 23, 2016, President Barack Obama announced the removal of 
 remaining United States restrictions on the sale of lethal weapons and 
 related services to Vietnam, a move that followed President George W. 
 Bush's 2007 decision to permit case-by-case sales of nonlethal defense 
 items and defense services and President Obama's 2014 decision to 
 partially ease United States restrictions on the transfer of lethal 
 weapons and articles to Vietnam;
Whereas President Donald Trump became the first United States President to visit 
 Vietnam twice in one presidential term, including a November 2017 state 
 visit during which President Trump and Vietnamese President Tran Dai 
 Quang--

    (1) concluded a new Three Year Plan of Action for Defense Cooperation 
to increase bilateral naval activities;

    (2) agreed on the first visit of the United States aircraft carrier to 
Vietnam in 2018;

    (3) celebrated the conclusion of a joint effort to clean dioxin-
contaminated soil and sediment in Da Nang, Vietnam;

    (4) welcomed the United States commitment to contribute to remediation 
efforts at Bien Hoa Airport; and

    (5) took significant steps forward with an increase in direct 
investment in Vietnam with an emphasis on energy cooperation;

Whereas, on September 10, 2023, President Joe Biden and General Secretary Nguyen 
 Phu Trong issued a Joint Communique that--

    (1) officially upgraded the bilateral relationship to the level of 
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership;

    (2) recognized considerable progress made in the bilateral relationship 
in a short 10-year period; and

    (3) underscored the fundamental principles guiding United States-
Vietnam relations, including respect for the United Nations Charter, 
international law, and respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, 
and territorial integrity;

Whereas the United States and Vietnam have formed a partnership in promoting 
 peace, cooperation, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific region, 
 including by--

    (1) recognizing the strategic importance of free and open access to the 
South China Sea; and

    (2) continuing programs by initiated during the administrations of 
President Obama, President Trump, and President Biden to help Vietnam 
enhance its maritime capabilities;

Whereas, throughout these positive developments, Congress has consistently 
 offered strong bipartisan support to the continuation and eventual 
 completion of war legacy programs in Vietnam as the basis on which the 
 bilateral relationship was established 30 years ago;
Whereas the United States and Vietnam will continue to deepen cooperation in a 
 wide range of areas, including political and diplomatic relations, 
 economic trade and investment, science and technology, education and 
 health, cultural and people-to-people ties, defense and security, 
 regional and global issues, and the promotion and protection of human 
 rights, to ensure the interests of the people in the United States and 
 in Vietnam and to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and 
 prosperity around the world: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) recognizes--
        (A) the significance of the 30th anniversary of 
 normalization of the bilateral relationship between the 
 United States and Vietnam; and
        (B) the strong and enduring relationship built by 
 United States and Vietnam based on mutual respect, 
 trust, and a shared commitment to peace and prosperity;

    (2) honors the contributions of Vietnamese Americans to the 
 United States during the past 50 years, including--
        (A) their tireless commitment to strengthening ties 
 among different communities, sectors, businesses, 
 youths, and people's organizations between the United 
 States and Vietnam; and
        (B) facilitating reconciliation and economic 
 prosperity between the 2 countries;

    (3) honors--
        (A) the service of members of the United States 
 Armed Forces who fought in Vietnam, including those who 
 gave their lives in the conflict; and
        (B) United States veteran-led initiatives 
 established and dedicated to engaging in reconciliation 
 efforts with the Vietnamese people;

    (4) expresses the commitment of the United States to the 
 sustained continuation of funding and operational support to 
 war legacy programs in Vietnam foundational to the bilateral 
 relationship, including--
        (A) dioxin remediation at Bien Hoa Airport;
        (B) unexploded ordnance removal;
            (C) support for persons with disabilities;
            (D) capacity building in provincial and national 
 efforts on mine action; and
        (E) accounting for Vietnamese missing and fallen 
 soldiers from the war;

    (5) acknowledges the significant progress in various areas 
 of cooperation, including political and diplomatic relations, 
 trade and economic ties, defense and security, and people-to-
 people exchanges;

    (6) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
 sustaining and building on the partnership officially 
 established in the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic 
 Partnership in September 2023, underscored by the fundamental 
 principles guiding the bilateral relationship, including 
 respect for the United Nations Charter, international law, and 
 respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, and 
 territorial integrity; and

    (7) expresses--
        (A) the determination of the United States to 
 continue strengthening cooperation across sectors; and
        (B) the vital importance of the bilateral 
 relationship between the United States and Vietnam to 
 addressing shared challenges and promoting continued 
 regional peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific 
 region.
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