IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 665 
Endorsing reforms for freedom and democracy in Vietnam. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 19, 2007 
Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia (for himself, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of Cali-
fornia, and Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California) submitted the following res-
olution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Endorsing reforms for freedom and democracy in Vietnam. 
Whereas the United States has a long and honorable tradi-
tion of promoting freedom and human rights throughout 
the world; 
Whereas in that spirit, on May 5, 1994, Congress passed, 
and subsequently the President signed into law, Senate 
Joint Resolution 168 on May 25, 1994, in which Vietnam 
was urged to— 
(1) release immediately and unconditionally all polit-
ical prisoners with full restoration of their civil and 
human rights; 
(2) guarantee equal protection under the law to all 
Vietnamese, regardless of religious, political philosophy, 
or previous associations; 
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•HRES 665 IH 
(3) restore all basic human rights, such as freedom 
of information, speech, religion, movement and associa-
tion; 
(4) abolish the single party system and permit the 
functioning of all political organizations without intimida-
tion or harassment; and 
(5) announce a framework and timetable for free 
and fair elections under the sponsorship of the United 
Nations that will allow the Vietnamese people to choose 
their own form of government according to their will; 
Whereas well-respected spiritual leaders of the Buddhist, 
Catholic, Protestant, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, and other reli-
gions have legitimately and courageously demanded reli-
gious freedom and non-violently struggled for democracy 
and the protection of human rights in Vietnam; 
Whereas because of systematic, egregious, and ongoing 
abuses of religious freedom, the United States Commis-
sion on International Religious Freedom recommends the 
addition of Vietnam to the countries of particular concern 
list; 
Whereas the Government of Vietnam continues to persecute 
its citizens for the nonviolent practice of faith, free 
speech, free press, and democratic values, including con-
tinuous arrests, detention, and harassment of members of 
the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Roman 
Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, the Hoa Hao 
Buddhist faith, the Cao Dai faith, and many other indi-
viduals who call for democracy and freedom in Vietnam; 
Whereas to reach a more free and democratic state, the Gov-
ernment of Vietnam should, among other reforms— 
(1) stop blocking all foreign broadcasts and allow 
the free flow of information into Vietnam; 
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•HRES 665 IH 
(2) allow newspapers, radio, and television broad-
casts to carry opinions even if critical of the Vietnamese 
Government; 
(3) release all imprisoned religious leaders and polit-
ical dissidents and allow the United Nations Committee 
on Arbitrary Detention to inspect the prison system in 
Vietnam; 
(4) implement the United Nations principles on reli-
gious freedom and guarantee the equal treatment to all 
religions in Vietnam; 
(5) dismantle Article Number 4 in the Vietnamese 
Constitution (which gives the Vietnamese Government su-
premacy over people) and abolish the Directive CP 31 
(which allows imprisonment of dissidents up to two years 
without trial or judicial review); 
(6) respect human and civil rights and return to the 
right to own property to the Vietnamese people; 
(7) stop the intervention of the Communist Party at 
all levels of the government and end the Communist Par-
ty’s control and manipulation of the National Assembly; 
(8) let the National Assembly, when no longer under 
the control of the Communist party, help orchestrate the 
transition period and draw up new election laws which 
promote the multiparty system and allow everyone to 
freely participate in the general elections; and 
(9) have the government, when independent of the 
Communist Party, organize free and fair elections accord-
ing to the new election laws and under international mon-
itoring to choose a constitutional Assembly; and 
Whereas Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, a leading voice for freedom 
in Vietnam, issued his 9-point road map to democracy in 
March 2005 encompassing many of these reforms: Now, 
therefore, be it 
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Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) endorses reforms for freedom and democ-
racy in Vietnam, including those reforms advocated 
by Dr. Nguyen Dan Que’s 9-point road map to de-
mocracy; and 
(2) urges the Government of the United States 
to utilize such reforms in an effort to bring democ-
racy and human rights to Vietnam in a peaceful 
manner. 
Æ 
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