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

89(R) HR 963 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

H.R. No. 963

R E S O L U T I O N

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American Embassy in Saigon, but the last of those were withdrawn in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

Muñoz

Anchía

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

Rodríguez 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

Gámez

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

González of Dallas

Moody

Wilson

González 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