Bill > HRes218

This Resolution strongly urges the U.S. Department of State to designate Vietnam as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC), a designation applied to nations that engage in "particularly severe violations of religious freedom" as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA). The resolution condemns Vietnam's ongoing and severe religious freedom abuses, citing examples like the imprisonment of religious leaders and individuals advocating peacefully for their beliefs, and calls on Vietnam to remove restrictions on religious freedom, stop seizing church properties, and enact legal and political reforms to safeguard religious rights. Furthermore, it emphasizes that the U.S. should make it clear that any expansion of diplomatic and economic relations with Vietnam will be contingent upon demonstrable improvements in religious freedom and related human rights.