Marking Vietnam Human Rights Day, a bipartisan group of House members led by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) have introduced the Vietnam Human Rights Act (HR 3172) to hold Vietnamese officials accountable for gross human rights abuses and help prioritize the protection of freedoms and the development of the rule of law in the country.

            Authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Vietnam Caucus, and cosponsored by fellow Co-Chairs, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Michelle Steel (R-CA) and Lou Correa (D-CA), the legislation would allow the United States to sanction Vietnamese officials and others who are complicit in systematic violations of internationally recognized human rights, including particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

            “Vietnam’s Communist government does not respect freedom of the press, internet freedom or independent labor unions,” said Rep. Smith, who has chaired nearly a dozen hearings on human rights in Vietnam. “The government fails to protect women and girls from trafficking and its crackdown on religion—including the Catholic Church—has especially worsened this past year, prompting the State Department to place it on the Special Watch List and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to designate it as a Country of Particular Concern.”

            “The City of San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population of any city outside of Vietnam, and I hear concerning stories about Vietnam’s human rights violations from community members frequently. We all agree that Hanoi’s actions must not be allowed to stand,” said Rep. Lofgren. “Our bipartisan Vietnam Human Rights Act will help give the Vietnamese people the tools and information they need to fight for change from within, and it will hold Vietnam’s government accountable for atrocities. It’s a bill that is both in the best interest of the United States and the Indo-Pacific region.”

            “As co-chair of the Congressional Vietnam Caucus, representing Orange County’s Little Saigon, I am all too familiar with the human rights abuses that impact my constituents’ friends and loved ones in Vietnam,” said Rep. Steel. “I am proud to support the Vietnam Human Rights Act which will ensure the United States is actively promoting freedom for the Vietnamese people and accountability for the communist government that continues to oppress them.”

             “For the past 25 years, I have served Orange County’s Little Saigon, and represent one of the largest Vietnamese-American communities in the United States today,” said Rep. Correa. “The Vietnamese government needs to be held accountable for its staunch human rights violations which impact my constituents and their families in Vietnam every day. I am honored to support the Vietnam Human Rights Act, pushing the Vietnamese government to expand and protect civil liberties, human rights, and freedom of religion in Vietnam.”

            Smith, who chairs the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, noted that “efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to co-opt governing elites in Vietnam have made some headway. If we want to see a closer alignment of American and Vietnamese interests, then we need a freer Vietnam—one which respects human rights and could then become a natural ally. This critical legislation pushes US policy in that direction.” 

            Among other provisions, the Vietnam Human Rights Act would:

            ·         Authorize new programs to monitor and halt bride and sex trafficking of women and girls;

            ·         Prohibit any direct or indirect funding for Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, which engages in cyber-espionage activity and hacking;

            ·         Require enhanced reporting on Vietnamese human rights abuses, sanctioning of Vietnamese officials and US efforts to promote internet freedom and the flow of information in Vietnam;

            ·         Urge implementation of key sanctions already provided under the Global Magnitsky Act and the International Religious Freedom Act, including visa denials and financial sanctions; and

            ·         Call for restrictions on non-humanitarian assistance to Vietnam’s government until certain human rights milestones are met.

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