1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Vietnam Human Rights Sanctions Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The relationship between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has grown substantially since the end of the trade embargo in 1994, with annual trade between the countries reaching more than $36,000,000,000 in 2014. (2) However, the transition by the Government of Vietnam toward greater economic activity and trade, which has led to increased bilateral engagement between the United States and Vietnam, has not been matched by greater political freedom or substantial improvements in basic human rights for the people of Vietnam. (3) Vietnam remains an authoritarian state ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam, which continues to deny the right of the people of Vietnam to participate in free and fair elections. (4) According to the Department of State’s 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Vietnam’s most significant human rights problems . . . were severe government restrictions of citizens’ political rights, particularly their right to change their government through free and fair elections; limits on citizens’ civil liberties, including freedom of assembly and expression; and inadequate protection of citizens’ due process rights, including protection against arbitrary detention . (5) The Country Reports also state that the Government of Vietnam continued to restrict speech that criticized individual government leaders; promoted political pluralism or multi-party democracy