TITLE: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the fall of South Vietnam at the conclusion of the Vietnam War.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the fall of South Vietnam at the conclusion of the Vietnam War.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of South Vietnam and the subsequent emigration of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese refugees, many of whom settled in the United States; and WHEREAS, On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese troops occupied Saigon, bringing a final end to the Vietnam War, during which American service personnel fought alongside South Vietnamese troops to oppose the communist forces of North Vietnam and their allies; during the course of the conflict, more than 58,000 American service members lost their lives and over 100,000 were seriously wounded; losses among South Vietnamese forces are estimated at a quarter of a million killed and perhaps as many badly injured, and countless civilians perished; and WHEREAS, American military involvement in the war ended with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973; a small number of U.S. troops remained in South Vietnam to guard the American Embassy in Saigon, but the last of those were withdrawn in April 1975, as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on the city; in the days before Saigon fell, more than 100,000 Vietnamese were evacuated to the United States, including military personnel and others whose previous associations made them targets of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese; and WHEREAS, Over the ensuing decade, the Communists tightened their grip on the country and hundreds of thousands more people fled; and WHEREAS, Despite challenges, a multitude of Vietnamese emigrants were able to establish new lives in other countries; those settling in the United States were aided by the generous efforts of the many Americans who extended a helping hand, and vibrant Vietnamese communities began to take root in cities across the nation; by 2021, this population had reached approximately 1.9 million and constituted the fourth-largest Asian immigrant group in the nation; Texas is now home to almost 300,000 Vietnamese Americans, who have made substantial contributions in the areas of business, education, public service, science, medicine, the arts, and many other aspects of society; and WHEREAS, The observance of this somber anniversary reminds us of the magnitude of the sacrifices made and hardships endured in the quest for freedom, and we pay tribute to those whose lives were lost and recognize the courage and determination of the Vietnamese people who came to these shores in search of a better life; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of South Vietnam at the conclusion of the Vietnam War. Vo Burrows Guerra Morales Shaw Alders Guillen Morgan Allen Harless Mu oz Anch a Harris Noble Ashby Harris Davila Olcott Barry Harrison Oliverson Bell of Kaufman Hayes Ordaz Bell of Montgomery Hefner Orr Bernal Hernandez Patterson Bhojani Hickland Paul Bonnen Hinojosa Perez of El Paso Bowers Holt Perez of Harris Bryant Hopper Phelan Buckley Howard Pierson Bucy Hull Plesa Bumgarner Hunter Raymond Button Isaac Reynolds Cain Johnson Richardson Campos Jones of Dallas Rodr guez Ramos Canales Jones of Harris Romero Capriglione Kerwin Rose Cole King Rosenthal Collier Kitzman Schatzline Cook LaHood Schofield Cortez Lalani Schoolcraft Craddick Lambert Shaheen Cunningham Landgraf Shofner Curry Leach Simmons Darby Leo Wilson Slawson A. Davis of Dallas Little Smithee Y. Davis of Dallas Longoria Spiller Dean Lopez of Bexar Swanson DeAyala Lopez of Cameron Talarico Dorazio Louderback Tepper Dutton Lowe Thompson Dyson Lozano Tinderholt Fairly Lujan Toth Flores Luther Troxclair Frank Manuel Turner G mez Martinez VanDeaver Garcia of Bexar Martinez Fischer Vasut Garcia of Dallas McLaughlin Villalobos Garcia Hernandez McQueeney Virdell Gates Metcalf Vo Gerdes Meyer Walle Geren Meza Ward Johnson Gervin-Hawkins Money Wharton Gonz lez of Dallas Moody Wilson Gonz lez of El Paso Morales of Harris Wu Goodwin Morales of Maverick Zwiener Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 963 was adopted by the House on April 30, 2025, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House