Viet Nam Adoption

It seems fitting to close out 2011 with the Vietnam blog because of all the positive changes this adoption program has made in the past year. We have been following it as the adoption program began its ratification process. This is a major process that takes a rewrite of every aspect of the adoption laws and requirements, a legislative acceptance and an intercountry agreement- all of which take time, effort and finances. Vietnam has dedicated all of those to completing this ratification process for the safety of their children. I know that a lot of the legal work was complete in November but that does not automatically open the adoption doors. In order for the United States to re-open their adoption relationship… [more]

I love the fact that I said last month, no clear date and am coming to you 2-3 weeks later and saying, "I have a date!!" It is true. The approval for Hague Certification between the United States and Vietnam went through on November 1, 2011. This is very exciting. It is another step completed in a long process. For those of you who have been waiting- this is such good news. There are a couple of legalities that you should know about. When a country reaches an approval, they are not immediately open for adoption. This is the case with the relationship between the United States and Vietnam. Though the approval is November 2011, it doesn't go into effect until February 2012. When… [more]

The adoption program from the country of Vietnam has been under the watchful eye of prospective adoption parents for awhile- many are waiting for its re-opening to occur. A notice was released in September (but posted on October 17, 2011) restating the past statistics of when Vietnam began the ratification process, when various goals were met and the desired date for the adoption relationship to be re-established. Unfortunately, the re-opening that was slated to occur in the 'near future' has been pushed to 'there is no clear date.' This can be very frustrating and disheartening for the prospective adoption parent because of the lack of apparent movement and the fact that there are still many steps that must be completed for the adoption program to… [more]

After last month's positive news, I was hoping that I would have a lot of information to report. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Though Vietnam has talked about re-opening their adoption program, no information has been released pointing to that. This can be very frustrating for those of you are waiting for this country to begin to accept dossiers again. I would encourage you to seek out a reputable agency as this point. They will be able to inform you fully of the status changes as they occur. I am not directly involved with adoption from this country and thus rely on research for my information. The legal aspects of adopting from Vietnam will likely be different when the adoption program re-opens. This is… [more]

This morning, I come to you bearing news! On the 21st of September a notice was released by the leadership in Ireland pertaining to the status of Vietnam in regard to signing the Hague Convention. It read: Vietnam 'Ready to Sign up to Adoption Convention'  It has emerged that following discussions between the Irish and Vietnamese Authorities, Vietnam is preparing to ratify the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption. The international agreement, which Ireland signed last year, is a system of co-operation among countries ensuring that adoptions take place in the best interests of the children concerned. Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, who recently met the Vietnamese Ambassador, has expressed confidence that Vietnam will sign-up to the convention in the near future. This is great… [more]

It seems like it has been a long time since I updated you on the status of adoption from Vietnam. It was a terrible disappointment to me to find no new information had surfaced in regard to the much anticipated re-opening of this adoption program. I have stated in past posts that Vietnam closed their adoption program in order to conform to Hague Convention regulations. They have not fully reached agreements with the countries that they share an adoption relationship with as of yet. Many governmental officials have been involved with the ratification process that Vietnam is working through- to ensure that all of the proper channels are being covered. Vietnam was slated to re-open as early as July of this year but… [more]

The country of Vietnam continues to work toward re-opening their program. In June of 2010 the Vietnamese legislature passed a new law which took effect on January 1, 2011. This law is under continual revision and is delaying the programs desired result of accepting new applicants. All of the legislative work is the result of the signing of the Hague convention on the part of Vietnam which occurred on December 7, 2010. At this time Vietnam expressed its intent to ratify their convention status in July 2011 and fully become 'party to' it in November, 2011. This does not mean that the adoption relationship with the United States would automatically re-open. In order to become adoptive partners again- the United States Central Authority must… [more]

Unfortunately, there is no news in regard to Vietnam adoption. The country remains closed in order to finalize paperwork to complete its Hague Convention status. This makes it very difficult for the prospective parent who has been told repeatedly that this country's adoption program was slated for re-opening. All of the slated dates have come and gone with no word as to progress being completed. The question that I am routinely asked is, "What do I do while I wait?" I have a standard answer and many of you, who have read my blogs before know it by heart. I say, "Study, study, study." Research Vietnam's adoption program. Read all of the material that you can find. Figure out what (if any) special needs… [more]

In the last blog, I posted that I had good news. This time I have even more news. It seems like the adoption relationship between the United States and Vietnam has been suspended so long with no end in sight. In 2008, this adoption relationship was not re-established after Vietnam joined the Hague Convention. The reason for the United States (and other countries) reluctance in this area was that a regulation table that would be acceptable to both parties was not reached. That has been the objective of Vietnam in the time since their succession to Hague. The recent news is that Vietnam has been the recipient of funds to encourage the development of their adoption program. These funds will support in country care of… [more]

I have NEWS!! I could not be more excited to let you know about the recent developments in the adoption program from Vietnam. There was a meeting scheduled on April 12, 2011 to discuss the administrative agreement that must be in place in order for adoptions from this country to re-open. The meeting was between the governmental officials in Vietnam and the Adoption Authority. In this meeting many issues were addressed but the biggest was whether the initial incidents that caused the US to pull out of the adoption relationship with Vietnam in 2008 had been rectified. The Adoption Authority said, "[they] will ensure that all of the 'very serious issues' that caused the suspension of adoptions from Vietnam are addressed before… [more]