Last week the United States Embassy in Hanoi issues a statement confirming an outbreak of acute diarrhea in Northern Viet Nam. Some of these cases have tested positive for carrying the bacteria that causes cholera, and there have also been some confirmed cases of cholera infection. The Deputy Health Minister noted that the likely culprits for the outbreak are street food, water, shrimp products and salads. If you are in Hanoi or other northern provinces now, or will be traveling soon, please steer clear of the above mentioned foods, and stick strictly to bottled water.

You can read the Embassy’s complete warden message here,... more

The Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) has just announced that referrals from Phu Tho province have been suspended temporarily by Viet Nam's Department of Intercountry Adoptions (DIA). On their website they state that it is their belief that parents who have been referred children from Phu Tho prior to November 5th will not be affected by the current suspension.

Adoption agencies that are licensed in Phu Tho are A.D.O.P.P.T., Carolina Adoption Services, Children’s Home Society and Family Services (CHSFS), Children’s... more

In my recent post about the state of Vietnamese adoptions I wrote that I “hope that it (the recent statement from the US Embassy in Hanoi) opens others’ eyes and encourages parents to seek out ethical adoption agencies to work with to bring their children home.” Reading back over my words, I feel the need to elaborate because choosing an ethical agency (and determining which ones are!) is not the end of the line. There is more that we can to do.

The fact that there have been confirmed cases... more

The US Embassy in Hanoi released a statement last week concerning adoptions from Viet Nam. You can read the full announcement here, but I want to share some of the points that jumped out at me. This announcement was made very shortly after the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and the Department of State announced that there would be changes made to how the I600 Petition is submitted.... more

I’m sure you’re going to be seeing lots of posts about it being National Adoption Awareness Month around here, because it’s something we all can celebrate! This national event started off as a way to increase awareness about the need for adoptive families for children in the foster care system in the United States. It’s focus is still on adoption from foster care, but all adoptive families can spread awareness for adoption in general as well.

National Adoption Awareness Month started in 1990 and has been gaining steam ever since. As the number of adoptive families in our country... more

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has issued an official statement (posted by the Joint Council of International Childrens Services)about the new submission procedures for the I-600 petition. The announcement echoes much of the content of my last post on the subject, but goes into greater detail about the steps the process will entail starting on Monday. I applaud... more

The USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Service) and the US Department of State have announced that procedures for submitting the I600 Petition will be changed effective Monday October 29th. The changes will have adoptive parents receive their referral and then mail in their I600 to Viet Nam where is will take approximately sixty days to process the petition.

Details about the change:

~The length of... more

More Flooding in Central Viet Nam –It hasn’t been very long since the severe flooding brought by Typhoon Lekima wreaked havoc in Viet Nam, yet there was more flooding last week. The Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Thua Thien-Hue provinces were among those hit this time. Human lives were lost in the most recent flooding as well as rice paddies and fields. The Vietnamese government is predicting that the provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kontum (all in the Central Highland area of... more

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is viewed by most as a highly reputable, wonderful organization that works hard to help children in need. Those of us involved in international adoption know that the term “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” can be used when talking about the revered charity. They have worked hard to polish their squeaky clean image and get empathetic people to write checks in the hopes that they are helping needy children. What most people don’t know is that if those needy children happen to be without a family to care for them and are living in orphanages and are up for international adoption, UNICEF would (in most cases) rather they stay put (without thought to the reality... more

Bomb Uncovered After Typhoon - Typhoon Lekima; which caused massive amounts of damage and loss in Viet Nam last week has uncovered quite a shocker; a five hundred pound bomb that was apparently dropped by an American plane during the war. Found near the Ham Rong bridge in Central Viet Nam, the bomb had been unearthed by the destructive storm’s floods and landslides. Officers and engineers were working to diffuse it over the weeend. Authorities are also revealing that there were two other... more