PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Apr 25, 2018
Vietnam Human Rights Act
This bill urges the Department of State to prompt Vietnam to: (1) repeal laws and administrative decrees restricting freedom of expression (including the Internet), association, and peaceful assembly; and (2) release political and religious prisoners.
The bill states that: (1) it is U.S. policy to prioritize religious freedom in bilateral relations with Vietnam, (2) Vietnam should be designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom, and (3) Vietnamese officials guilty of gross violations of human rights should be investigated by the United States and sanctioned if warranted.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The State Department may establish programs to: (1) monitor and halt bride and sex trafficking of girls and women in Vietnam and other Asian countries, including China; and (2) address Vietnam's growing sex-ratio disparity.
The President may provide assistance to ethnic minority groups in Vietnam affected by severe human rights violations.
The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) military assistance to Vietnam should be conditioned upon human rights progress, and (2) trade and foreign assistance benefits will be contingent upon whether Vietnam has illegally expropriated properties of U.S. citizens.
People & committees
Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · R–NJ
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 11, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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