The Vietnamese Freedom and Heritage Flag is a yellow background with three horizontal red stripes. The three red stripes symbolize the unifying blood running through Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam.

As Lunar New Year Celebrations Kick Off in Little Saigon, a Bipartisan Resolution Honors the Contributions of Vietnamese Americans to the United States.

Representatives Lou Correa (CA-46) and Michelle Steel (CA-45) introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing the contributions of the Vietnamese-American community to the United States on February 8, 2024. Orange County, California, is home to Little Saigon and almost 190,000 Vietnamese Americans, making it the largest Vietnamese diaspora in the world outside of Vietnam.

“As our Vietnamese American community at home prepares to celebrate Tết and the Year of the Dragon, it’s never been more important to highlight the important social, economic, and cultural contributions they make to our nation,” Correa said. “Congress must continue to support our Vietnamese American neighbors, entrepreneurs, leaders, and veterans. I’m proud to have represented parts of Little Saigon for decades throughout my career in public service, and will always recognize the positive impact they’ve had in Orange County and across the United States.” 

In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, approximately 800,000 Vietnamese refugees fleeing persecution resettled in the United States. Today, there are around 1,700,000 Vietnamese Americans currently residing in the United States, many of whom have overcome tremendous socioeconomic challenges to become major economic contributors to American society. This past October, Rep. Correa hosted the United States Ambassador to Vietnam, Marc Knapper, for the Ambassador’s first trip to Orange County. During this trip, the Ambassador visited stores and restaurants in Little Saigon and connected with the Vietnamese American community.

“I am proud to be a voice for the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam in Little Saigon and to serve as co-chair of the Congressional Vietnamese Caucus. Vietnamese Americans have greatly benefited Southern California as small business owners, teachers, parents, community leaders, and so much more,” Steel said. “As we celebrate Tet and the Year of the Dragon, I am glad to recognize the incredible impact of Vietnamese Americans on our country in pursuit of their own American Dreams.”

BACKGROUND: Reps. Correa and Steel are the co-chairs of the Congressional Vietnam Caucus, where they focus on bilateral relations between the two countries and the Vietnamese American community at large. Previously, Correa and Steel also introduced the bipartisan Honor Our Commitment Act to protect Vietnamese refugees from deportation who migrated to the United States in the wake of the Vietnam War. In addition, they also partnered to introduce a resolution recognizing the 48th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon and the Vietnam Human Rights Act.

Led by Correa and Steel, co-sponsors of this resolution include Representatives Gerald Connolly (VA-11), Scott Peters (CA-50), Nikema Williams (GA-5), Dina Titus (NV-1), Ed Case (HI-1), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Donald Beyer (VA-8), Katie Porter (CA-47), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Barabara Lee (CA-12), Grace F. Napolitano (CA-31), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Judy Chu (CA-28), and James McGovern (MA-02).

You can find the full text of the resolution HERE.