SRES 321 · 119th Congress · International Affairs

A resolution commemorating 30 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam on July 11, 2025.

Introduced July 15, 2025 Latest action December 18, 2025 1 cosponsor

Sponsor

Latest action

Resolution agreed to in Senate with an amendment and an amended preamble by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S8892-8893)

Action timeline

Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.

Dec 18, 2025

committee Senate Committee on Foreign Relations discharged by Unanimous Consent.

Foreign Relations Committee

Dec 18, 2025

floor Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S8891-8893)

Dec 18, 2025

passed Passed/agreed to in Senate: Resolution agreed to in Senate with an amendment and an amended preamble by Unanimous Consent.

Dec 18, 2025

passed Resolution agreed to in Senate with an amendment and an amended preamble by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S8892-8893)

Jul 15, 2025

introduced Introduced in Senate

Text versions

Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.

Dec 18, 2025 Agreed to Senate

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Jul 15, 2025 Introduced in Senate

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Changelog

ⓘ

How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.

`ih` / `is` — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.

`rfh` / `rfs` — Referred to a committee for review.

`rh` / `rs` — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).

`pcs` / `pch` — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.

`eh` / `es` — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.

`rdh` / `rds` — Received by the other chamber.

`eah` / `eas` — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.

`ath` / `ats` — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.

`enr` — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.

`pl` — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.

`pp` — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.

Most bills die before `eh`/`es`. Going from `pcs` → `enr` is the full path through both chambers.

Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.

+93 −76 83 unchanged

--- Introduced (Senate)

+++ Agreed to (Senate)

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@

[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

-[S. Res. 321 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

+[S. Res. 321 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@

Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Daines) submitted the following

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

+December 18, 2025

+Committee discharged; considered, amended, and agreed to with an

+amended preamble

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

@@ -26,41 +31,40 @@

Commemorating 30 years of diplomatic relations between the United

States and Vietnam on July 11, 2025.

-Whereas, since the end the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have

-resettled in the United States and built vibrant communities across the

-United States, which contribute to the rich diversity of our Nation;

-Whereas the joint efforts across the administrations of President Ronald Reagan

-and President George H.W. Bush to address questions surrounding United

-States service members missing in action (MIA) set the foundation for

-the normalization of bilateral relations between the United States and

+Whereas, since the end of the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese

+have resettled in and built vibrant communities across the United

+States, which contribute to the rich diversity of our Nation;

+Whereas joint efforts across the administrations of President Ronald Reagan and

+President George H. W. Bush to address questions surrounding United

+States servicemembers missing in action (MIA) set the foundation for the

+normalization of bilateral relations between the United States and

Vietnam;

-Whereas, between 1991 to 1993, the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs of the

-Senate conducted public hearings and issued an extensive report on the

-prisoner of war (POW) and MIA issue, helping to lay the domestic

-political foundation for the breakthroughs in subsequent United States-

+Whereas, between 1991 and 1993, the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs of the

+Senate conducted public hearings and issued an extensive report on

+prisoner of war (POW) and MIA issues, helping to lay the domestic

+political foundation for subsequent breakthroughs in United States-

Vietnam relations;

-Whereas the efforts to identify and return the remains of service members

-missing in action on both the United States and Vietnamese sides,

-alongside unexploded ordnance removal, dioxin remediation, disability

-programs supporting survivors impacted by these war remnants, and

-efforts to continue public education on these topics, collectively built

-the foundation for ongoing war legacy programs in Southeast Asia, which

-are a vital component of the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and

-the United States;

+Whereas efforts to identify and return the remains of service members missing in

+action on both the United States and Vietnamese sides, alongside

+unexploded ordnance removal, dioxin remediation, disability programs

+supporting survivors impacted by these war remnants, and efforts to

+continue public education on these topics have contributed to ongoing

+war legacy programs, which are a vital component of the bilateral

+relationship between Vietnam and the United States;

Whereas section 521 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years

1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-236) expressed the Senate's support for

the normalization of relations with Vietnam and sent an important

political signal to the Executive branch on moving ahead with diplomatic

normalization;

-Whereas, on February 4, 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton lifted of the trade

-embargo in place since the end of the Vietnam War, in turn paving the

-way to the announcement of a normalization of relations between the

-United States and Vietnam on July 11, 1995;

+Whereas, on February 4, 1994, President Bill Clinton lifted the trade embargo,

+which had been in place since the end of the Vietnam War, paving the way

+for the announcement of a normalization of relations between the United

+States and Vietnam on July 11, 1995;

Whereas significant progress has been made in the bilateral relationship since

the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and

-Vietnam, leading to significant cooperation between the government and

-peoples of the United States and Vietnam in an array of areas, extending

-to political, economic, and cultural ties;

+Vietnam, leading to cooperation between the governments and peoples of

+the United States and Vietnam in an array of areas, extending to

+political, economic, and cultural ties;

Whereas, in January of 2001, Congress passed the bipartisan Vietnam Education

Foundation Act of 2000 (title II of division B of Public Law 106-554) to

promote reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam through an

@@ -76,52 +80,64 @@

Whereas, in December 2006, Congress granted permanent normal trade relations

status to Vietnam under title IV of division D of the Tax Relief and

Health Care Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-432);

-Whereas, on July 25, 2013, President Barack Obama and Vietnam President Truong

-Tan Sang agreed to establish a comprehensive partnership between Vietnam

-and the United States based on the principles of respect for the United

-Nations Charter, international law, respect for political institutions,

-independence and sovereignty, and each other's territorial integrity;

+Whereas, on July 25, 2013, President Barack Obama and Vietnamese President

+Truong Tan Sang agreed to establish a comprehensive partnership between

+Vietnam and the United States based on the principles of respect for the

+United Nations Charter, international law, respect for political

+institutions, independence and sovereignty, and each other's territorial

+integrity;

Whereas, on May 23, 2016, President Barack Obama announced the removal of

remaining United States restrictions on the sale of lethal weapons and

-related services to Vietnam, a move that followed President George W.

-Bush's 2007 decision to permit case-by-case sales of nonlethal defense

-items and defense services and President Obama's 2014 decision to

-partially ease United States restrictions on the transfer of lethal

-weapons and articles to Vietnam;

+related services to Vietnam, following President George W. Bush's 2007

+decision to permit case-by-case sales of nonlethal defense items and

+defense services and President Obama's 2014 decision to partially ease

+United States restrictions on the transfer of lethal weapons and

+articles to Vietnam;

Whereas President Donald Trump became the first United States President to visit

Vietnam twice in one presidential term, including a November 2017 state

visit during which President Trump and Vietnamese President Tran Dai

Quang--

-(1) concluded a new Three Year Plan of Action for Defense Cooperation

-to increase bilateral naval activities;

-(2) agreed on the first visit of the United States aircraft carrier to

-Vietnam in 2018;

-(3) celebrated the conclusion of a joint effort to clean dioxin-

+(1) concluded a 3-year Plan of Action for Defense Cooperation to

+increase bilateral naval activities;

+(2) agreed on the first visit of a United States aircraft carrier (the

+USS Carl Vinson) to Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War;

+(3) reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation, overflight, and

+unfettered commerce in the South China Sea and a bilateral commitment to a

+rules-based approach to resolving maritime disputes;

+(4) celebrated the conclusion of a joint effort to clean dioxin-

contaminated soil and sediment in Da Nang, Vietnam;

-(4) welcomed the United States commitment to contribute to remediation

-efforts at Bien Hoa Airport; and

-(5) took significant steps forward with an increase in direct

-investment in Vietnam with an emphasis on energy cooperation;

+(5) welcomed the United States' commitment to contribute to dioxin

+remediation efforts at Bien Hoa Airport; and

+(6) pledged to increase bilateral trade and investment relations,

+including $12,000,000,000 in commercial agreements;

Whereas, on September 10, 2023, President Joe Biden and General Secretary Nguyen

Phu Trong issued a Joint Communique that--

-(1) officially upgraded the bilateral relationship to the level of

-Comprehensive Strategic Partnership;

-(2) recognized considerable progress made in the bilateral relationship

-in a short 10-year period; and

-(3) underscored the fundamental principles guiding United States-

-Vietnam relations, including respect for the United Nations Charter,

-international law, and respect for each other's independence, sovereignty,

-and territorial integrity;

+(1) upgraded the bilateral relationship between the United States and

+Vietnam to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership;

+(2) celebrated the expansion of dioxin remediation at Bien Hoa Air

+Base, extending the bilateral partnership agreement into 2028, and

+expanding unexploded ordnance tracking and clearance activities;

+(3) recognized considerable progress made in the bilateral relationship

+in a short, 10-year period; and

+(4) underscored fundamental principles guiding United States-Vietnam

+relations and respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, and

+territorial integrity;

+Whereas, on October 26, 2025, the United States and Vietnam agreed to a

+Framework for an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade, which

+will bolster United States national and economic security, expand

+bilateral trade, and strengthen supply chain security;

Whereas the United States and Vietnam have formed a partnership in promoting

peace, cooperation, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific region,

including by--

@@ -129,36 +145,35 @@

(1) recognizing the strategic importance of free and open access to the

South China Sea; and

-(2) continuing programs by initiated during the administrations of

+(2) continuing programs initiated during the administrations of

President Obama, President Trump, and President Biden to help Vietnam

enhance its maritime capabilities;

Whereas, throughout these positive developments, Congress has consistently

-offered strong bipartisan support to the continuation and eventual

+offered strong bipartisan support for the continuation and eventual

completion of war legacy programs in Vietnam as the basis on which the

bilateral relationship was established 30 years ago;

Whereas the United States and Vietnam will continue to deepen cooperation in a

wide range of areas, including political and diplomatic relations,

economic trade and investment, science and technology, education and

health, cultural and people-to-people ties, defense and security,

-regional and global issues, and the promotion and protection of human

-rights, to ensure the interests of the people in the United States and

-in Vietnam and to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and

-prosperity around the world: Now, therefore, be it

+regional and global issues, and the promotion and protection of

+internationally-recognized human rights, to ensure the interests of the

+people in the United States and in Vietnam and to contribute to peace,

+stability, cooperation, and prosperity around the world: Now, therefore,

+be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) recognizes--

(A) the significance of the 30th anniversary of

normalization of the bilateral relationship between the

United States and Vietnam; and

(B) the strong and enduring relationship built by

-United States and Vietnam based on mutual respect,

+the United States and Vietnam based on mutual respect,

trust, and a shared commitment to peace and prosperity;

(2) honors the contributions of Vietnamese Americans to the

United States during the past 50 years, including--

(A) their tireless commitment to strengthening ties

-among different communities, sectors, businesses,

-youths, and people's organizations between the United

-States and Vietnam; and

+between the United States and Vietnam; and

(B) facilitating reconciliation and economic

prosperity between the 2 countries;

(3) honors--

@@ -180,9 +195,11 @@

(E) accounting for Vietnamese missing and fallen

soldiers from the war;

(5) acknowledges the significant progress in various areas

-of cooperation, including political and diplomatic relations,

-trade and economic ties, defense and security, and people-to-

-people exchanges;

+of bilateral cooperation, including political and diplomatic

+relations, trade and economic ties, defense and security, and

+people-to-people exchanges, including the United States-

+supported Fulbright University, Vietnam's first independent

+nonprofit higher education institution;

(6) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to

sustaining and building on the partnership officially

established in the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic

@@ -193,10 +210,10 @@

territorial integrity; and

(7) expresses--

(A) the determination of the United States to

-continue strengthening cooperation across sectors; and

+continue strengthening cooperation with Vietnam across

+sectors; and

(B) the vital importance of the bilateral

relationship between the United States and Vietnam to

addressing shared challenges and promoting continued

-regional peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific

-region.

+peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

<all>

Cosponsors (1)

Members who signed on to support this bill.

Daines R