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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, When the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon in |
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1975, a large number of Vietnamese refugees, including former |
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military personnel, government officials, and those who had worked |
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with the United States during the war, immigrated to surrounding |
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areas and to America; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, |
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thousands of Vietnamese risked their lives by fleeing Vietnam |
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aboard small wooden boats; approximately half of these emigrants |
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perished at sea, but others reached refugee camps in Thailand, |
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Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong; and |
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WHEREAS, Many Vietnamese who came to the United States chose |
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to settle in the metropolitan areas and coastal regions of Texas; |
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these first-generation Vietnamese Americans worked hard and |
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flourished here, and now the state is home to the second largest |
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Vietnamese population in the United States, with more than 200,000 |
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residents, nearly half of those living in the |
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Houston-Sugarland-Baytown area; and |
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WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have fully embraced all of the |
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democratic principles that the United States offers, including |
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human rights, religious freedom, freedom of speech, and protection |
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against threats of aggression; and |
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WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have denied the authority of |
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the Vietnamese Communist Flag and pushed for governments to |
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officially recognize the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag, |
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which symbolizes both the Vietnamese cultural heritage and a deeply |
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rooted resilience and yearning for democracy; and |
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WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans strongly support education, |
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and their children are graduating from high schools and higher |
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education institutions at high rates; and |
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WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has benefited enormously from |
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the contributions of its Vietnamese American residents; and |
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WHEREAS, The Vietnamese American community plays a vital role |
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in the business, professional, and cultural life not only of the |
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Lone Star State but also of the country; the number of small |
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businesses owned by Vietnamese Americans has grown substantially, |
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and these firms have created more than 166,000 jobs nationwide, |
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adding billions of dollars to the economy; in addition, Vietnamese |
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Americans contribute to their communities in a myriad of ways, as |
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teachers, lawyers, writers, actors, doctors, mayors, judges, and |
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public servants; among the many Vietnamese Americans who have led |
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notable careers are astronaut Eugene H. Trinh, former Dallas Cowboy |
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Dat Nguyen, and scientist Nguyet Anh Duong, who developed the |
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thermobaric weapon, which has been vital to U.S. military efforts; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, For many decades, people of Vietnamese descent have |
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excelled in our society and economy, enriched our cultural |
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tapestry, and helped enhance and secure the Lone Star State's |
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reputation as a land of promise and possibility; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize April 8, 2015, as Vietnamese American |
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Day at the State Capitol and extend to each participant best wishes |
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for an informative and enjoyable day in Austin. |