84R14828 KSM-F
 
  By: Vo H.R. No. 1560
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, When the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon in
  1975, a large number of Vietnamese refugees, including former
  military personnel, government officials, and those who had worked
  with the United States during the war, immigrated to surrounding
  areas and to America; and
         WHEREAS, Throughout the late 1970s to the mid-1980s,
  thousands of Vietnamese risked their lives by fleeing Vietnam
  aboard small wooden boats; approximately half of these emigrants
  perished at sea, but others reached refugee camps in Thailand,
  Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong; and
         WHEREAS, Many Vietnamese who came to the United States chose
  to settle in the metropolitan areas and coastal regions of Texas;
  these first-generation Vietnamese Americans worked hard and
  flourished here, and now the state is home to the second largest
  Vietnamese population in the United States, with more than 200,000
  residents, nearly half of those living in the
  Houston-Sugarland-Baytown area; and
         WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have fully embraced all of the
  democratic principles that the United States offers, including
  human rights, religious freedom, freedom of speech, and protection
  against threats of aggression; and
         WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans have denied the authority of
  the Vietnamese Communist Flag and pushed for governments to
  officially recognize the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag,
  which symbolizes both the Vietnamese cultural heritage and a deeply
  rooted resilience and yearning for democracy; and
         WHEREAS, Vietnamese Americans strongly support education,
  and their children are graduating from high schools and higher
  education institutions at high rates; and
         WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has benefited enormously from
  the contributions of its Vietnamese American residents; and
         WHEREAS, The Vietnamese American community plays a vital role
  in the business, professional, and cultural life not only of the
  Lone Star State but also of the country; the number of small
  businesses owned by Vietnamese Americans has grown substantially,
  and these firms have created more than 166,000 jobs nationwide,
  adding billions of dollars to the economy; in addition, Vietnamese
  Americans contribute to their communities in a myriad of ways, as
  teachers, lawyers, writers, actors, doctors, mayors, judges, and
  public servants; among the many Vietnamese Americans who have led
  notable careers are astronaut Eugene H. Trinh, former Dallas Cowboy
  Dat Nguyen, and scientist Nguyet Anh Duong, who developed the
  thermobaric weapon, which has been vital to U.S. military efforts;
  and
         WHEREAS, For many decades, people of Vietnamese descent have
  excelled in our society and economy, enriched our cultural
  tapestry, and helped enhance and secure the Lone Star State's
  reputation as a land of promise and possibility; now, therefore, be
  it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
  Legislature hereby recognize April 8, 2015, as Vietnamese American
  Day at the State Capitol and extend to each participant best wishes
  for an informative and enjoyable day in Austin.