In an ongoing effort to help parents learn more about their child's province, I'm devoting separate posts to individual provinces. If you can arrange it so you can spend some time in your child's province while you are in Viet Nam, you'll come home with amazing experiences that you will be able to share with them when they're older. And if you're already home like me, it can still be nostalgic and informative to learn all you can about where your child spent their early days.

Ha Tinh is located in North Central Viet Nam and is... more

As a means to help parents learn more about their child’s province, I have decided to do a series of posts; each dedicated to one province. I will spotlight any attractions, historical sites, sites to visit, etc. that you may wish to visit during your stay in Viet Nam. This week I will be covering Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Ha Tinh, Danang and Lang Son.

Since Ella is from Bac Giang, that is where I am going to begin. I wish that we had spent more time in her province, and hope to be able to return and explore there in the future. Here’s the... more

A few weeks ago (July 8, 2007,) Reuters reported that the rising number of incidents of Dengue Fever in Viet Nam were causing concern. As of July 8th the disease had taken the lives of 27 Vietnamese people. It had also infected over 20,000 people in the first half of 2007, which is 23% more cases than last year. A warden message was issued by the United States Embassy in Hanoi... more

SuChin Pak was on an episode of the Oprah show awhile back that was titled “Children Ashamed of the Way They Look.” The episode was about how people from different racial groups do not see themselves as beautiful because they do not look like the blonde haired, blue eyed “All-American.” Pak is an MTV host and correspondent who is Korean.

She told Oprah about the huge importance that the eye crease (a fold of eyelid skin that makes the eye look larger) plays... more

Who among us isn't a sucker for anything related to Viet Nam? Before I traveled to adopt Ella, I was hungry for anything that would help me feel a little bit closer to my little girl on the other side of the world. Now that we’re home and I’m almost always feeling nostalgic for Viet Nam, I love looking at books and items that take me back. I’m also always on the lookout for things to share with Ella to help her learn about and feel a connection to her birth country and to understand more about adoption.

The... more

Learning about your child’s province in Viet Nam is one way that you can pass the time between receiving your referral and waiting to travel. One thing that I regret is that the only time we spent in Ella’s province was at her baby center and the Giving and Receiving ceremony. I wish we had thought to take a day or two to travel back to Bac Giang and do some exploring. Researching your child’s province now, before you go to Viet Nam, can give you some ideas about the area and possible sites you would... more

Jacquelyn Tran has recently had two entrepreneurial honors bestowed upon her: the Enst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Inc Magazine named her one of the ‘Hottest Entrepreneurs Under 30.” These accolades are in addition to being named one of 2006’s most successful businesspeople under 30 by Inc and OC Metro magazines.

30 year old Tran is the president of Perfume Bay, which is an extremely successful internet based perfume business. She grew up in a family involved... more

I hope there are some readers in the Philly area because this new exhibit about Viet Nam looks very interesting! The Please Touch Museum is opening a new exhibit titled “Dragons and Fairies: Exploring Viet Nam Through Folktales” on June 23rd. It’s a traveling exhibit that will be at the museum until September 9th.

There are a few parts of the exhibit that could possibly cause your adopted child to feel uncomfortable (building a family alter and making a family tree),... more

Many people feel compelled to help those less fortunate. Even more people feel compelled to help children. When those philanthropic people have actually been to a third world country and saw first hand what the living conditions are like, there can be an even stronger desire to help.

Here are some charities that benefit the less fortunate in Viet Nam.

Asian Children Viet Nam Humanitarian Services Corp.: ACS is our... more

Viet Nam’s traditional dress outfit; the Ao Dai, has an impressive and long history behind it. The long, flowing, collared top with slitted sides is worn over long, flowy pants. Decadent, colorful ao dais are most often worn to formal events, holidays and weddings, but plain white ones can be seen worn as school uniforms in some parts of the country.

Ao Dai means long dress and is pronounced ao (as in “ow, I stubbed my toe”) yai in the South and ao zai in the North. The Ao Dai most likely received its influence... more