III 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 378
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MAY 13, 2004
Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet-
nam to immediately and unconditionally release Father 
Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly, and for other purposes.
Whereas in February 2001, Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van 
Ly, a Roman Catholic priest was formally invited to tes-
tify before the United States Commission on Inter-
national Religious Freedom but was denied permission to 
leave the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and thus, instead, 
submitted written testimony critical of Vietnam which
HCON 378 RFS 
was read into the Commission record on February 13, 
2001; 
Whereas Father Ly’s testimony before the Commission docu-
ments numerous specific actions of the Government of 
Vietnam against religious freedom which he classified as 
collectively being ‘‘extremely cruel’’ and requiring a ‘‘non-
violent and persistent campaign’’ to achieve full religious 
freedom for all people in Vietnam; 
Whereas Father Ly has been detained by the Government of 
Vietnam since February 2001, when it placed Father Ly 
under administrative detention—as a direct response to 
his testimony, branding him a traitor for ‘‘slandering’’ 
the Communist party and ‘‘distorting’’ the religious pol-
icy of the Government of Vietnam; 
Whereas the Government of Vietnam issued a second decree 
suspending Father Ly’s ability to ‘‘carry on any religious 
responsibility and functions’’ and later formally removed 
Father Ly from his church, detained him, and denied 
him access to adequate legal counsel; 
Whereas on October 19, 2001, the Thua Thien Hue Provin-
cial People’s Court convicted Father Ly of all charges 
after a one day, closed trial, without the benefit of coun-
sel and sentenced him to two years in prison for violating 
the terms of his administrative detention, thirteen years 
in prison for ‘‘damaging the Government’s unity policy’’, 
and 5 years of administrative probation upon release 
from prison; 
Whereas after pleas from United States Government officials 
and the world community Father Ly’s sentence was re-
duced by 5 years;
HCON 378 RFS 
Whereas in June 2001, Father Ly’s nephews Nguyen Vu 
Viet, age 27, and Nguyen Truc Cuong, age 36, and his 
niece Nguyen Thi Hoa, age 44, were arrested for alleg-
edly being in contact and receiving support from organi-
zations in the United States concerning the religious situ-
ation in Vietnam and disseminating information con-
cerning the detention of Father Ly; 
Whereas after their cases generated much concern in Con-
gress, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Nguyen Vu Viet and Nguyen 
Truc Cuong all have been or are expected to be released 
shortly; 
Whereas on November 27, 2003, the United Nations Working 
Group on Arbitrary Detention issued Opinion No. 20/
2003 stating ‘‘the Group is convinced that [Father Ly] 
has been arrested and detained only for his opinions . . 
. [and] the deprivation of the liberty of Father Thaddeus 
Nguyen Van Ly is arbitrary, as being in contravention of 
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
and of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil 
and Political Rights’’; 
Whereas Father Ly has been deprived of his basic human 
rights by being denied his ability to exercise freedom of 
opinion and expression; 
Whereas the arbitrary imprisonment and the violation of the 
human rights of citizens of Vietnam are sources of con-
tinuing, grave concern to Congress; 
Whereas continuing concerns regarding human rights in Viet-
nam were recently highlighted by large demonstrations in 
the Central Highlands on April 10 and 11, 2004, in 
which thousands of Montagnards gathered on Easter 
weekend to protest their treatment by the Government of
HCON 378 RFS 
Vietnam, including the confiscation of tribal lands and 
ongoing restrictions on religious activities; and 
Whereas although the Government of Vietnam has attempted 
to control information about the April 2004 protests and 
access to the Central Highlands, reputable human rights 
organizations have reported that the protests were met 
with a violent response and that many demonstrators 
were arrested, injured, or are in hiding, and that others 
were killed: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That—
(1) Congress—
(A) condemns and deplores the arbitrary 
detention of Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly 
by the Government of the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam and calls for his immediate and uncon-
ditional release; 
(B) condemns and deplores the violations 
of freedom of speech, religion, movement, asso-
ciation, and the lack of due process afforded to 
individuals in Vietnam; 
(C) strongly urges the Government of Viet-
nam to consider the implications of its actions 
for the broader relationship between the United 
States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 
including the impact on trade relations;
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(D) urges the Government of Vietnam to 
allow unfettered access to the Central High-
lands by foreign diplomats, the international 
press, and nongovernmental organizations; and 
(E) condemns the extent of the violence 
used against Montagnard protesters on April 10 
and 11, 2004, and the use of any violence 
against peaceful protests and demonstrations; 
and 
(2) it is the sense of Congress that the United 
States—
(A) should make the immediate release of 
Father Ly a top concern; 
(B) should continue to urge the Govern-
ment of Vietnam to comply with internationally 
recognized standards for basic freedoms and 
human rights; 
(C) should make it clear to the Govern-
ment of Vietnam that the detention of Father 
Ly and other persons and the infliction of 
human rights violations on these individuals are 
not in the interest of Vietnam because they cre-
ate obstacles to improved bilateral relations and 
cooperation with the United States; and
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(D) should reiterate the deep concern of 
the United States regarding the continued im-
prisonment of Father Ly, and other persons 
whose human rights are being violated, and dis-
cuss their legal status and immediate humani-
tarian needs with the Government of Vietnam.
Passed the House of Representatives May 12, 2004. 
Attest: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk.