I wrote earlier this week about the typhoon and accompanying floods that hit Viet Nam recently and the damage that has been left behind, and just can’t get it out of my head. I’ve been checking my news updates to see what updates; if any, are coming out about what the situation is like now that the storm has passed. What I have found is upsetting.

The northern and central provinces that were hit the worst by Typhoon Lekima (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ninh Binh) had already endured a few days of rain before the storm even started to flood the area. Now, although the typhoon has subsided, Viet Nam is... more

While digging around online, I came across a few events this month that I thought would be of interest to those of us with Vietnamese kids (or those in the process of adopting.) The art exhibits are on the west coast, but we can all tune in our radio to learn more about Operation Babylift. If you know of any events that would interest readers, please don’t hesitate to share :)

Operation Babylift Radio Program – Lana Noone will be interviewed on October 24th at 11:00 am about Viet Nam’s Operation Babylift. Operation Babylift took place in 1975 when over 2000 children were evacuated out of war torn Viet Nam to be adopted by families world wide. Her interview will be... more

Massive Floods in Viet Nam - There was severe, horrific flooding in Viet Nam last week. Lives were lost and homes were destroyed as a result of Typhoon Lekima in Northern and Central Viet Nam. The provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ninh Binh seem to have seen the worst of the damage from the storm. Current reports are stating that there are fourteen people missing and the death toll is in the high sixties. Approximately six thousand Vietnamese homes are reported to be completely destroyed and over fifty thousand are severely damaged. Irrigation systems, roads and dykes... more

A bridge in Viet Nam collapsed on Wednesday killing many members of the crew that were working on it and leaving scores of other people trapped or missing. The bridge was being built in Can Tho City which is south of Ho Chi Minh City. This piece of the bridge (which was actually a ramp leading to the Can Tho Bridge,) seems to have collapsed due to problems with the support of the scaffolding. The bridge... more

While we were out of town last month I picked up an issue of Oprah’s “O” Magazine. I was looking for something light to pass the time as we traveled mile after mile on our journey. I did not expect to find a quote from Dr. Phil that I instantly knew was blog-worthy, but that is just what I found

Apparently Dr. Phil McGraw (author and talk show host of the daytime “Dr. Phil” show) writes a regular column in Oprah’s magazine where readers write in with questions and he answers them in a Dear Abby fashion. On his show, McGraw has done his best to become a straight talkin’,... more

When I can, I like to spend some time reading and surfing around online to see what’s going on in Viet Nam. Here are some news stories that I found interesting this week:

People’s Daily Online reports that over seventy five percent of fatalities among Vietnamese children are due to injuries (traffic accidents, burns and drowning.) The article says that the country is taking it upon themselves to try and lower these numbers, but in all of their good ideas there is no specific mention of traffic safety education or... more

There’s a part of me that feels badly for families who run into trouble after they agree to work with an agency who is not licensed to conduct adoptions in Viet Nam. That part of me is shrinking by the minute. Now, I am mostly angry. Angry that some Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) do not do their research, or (even worse,) they turn a blind eye and are swayed by promises of young babies, short wait times, and so on.

There is talk in the Viet Nam adoptive community about an adoption agency that has recently and abruptly shut its doors. Families that have received... more

Even before I had kids I liked the children’s cartoon show Arthur. Ok, maybe that’s a weird think to admit, but I really have liked the show for a long time. Since coming into the adoption world I learned that there was once an Arthur episode that included a statement about “real parents” that created a bit of an uproar in the adoptive parent community. Today, however, Arthur is redeeming itself with a two part show that celebrates adoption.

“Big Brother Binky, parts one and two” will follow Binky’s experiences... more

If you need to apply for a new passport or even apply for a renewal on an expired passport, please be sure to do so as far in advance of your anticipated travel date as possible. The United States is still facing a backlog of passport applications that has caused serious delays that are affecting many would be travelers.

New rules were implemented in January that required passports from travelers coming into the US from countries that did not require passports before the new rules. This caused a large scramble for passports, thus causing... more

A recent article about where the best place to invest in the manufacturing sector according to Price Waterhouse Coopers was titled “Vietnam ‘a better bet than China’.” Clearly, my mind isn’t on manufacturing investments, but the title caught my eye. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Viet Nam is better than China, but I wonder about all the people drawn to China who will no longer be allowed to adopt from there. How will... more