The Adoption Process

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]

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]

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]

It seems that there are many people who have an avid interest in adopting from the country of Vietnam. As we wait for news of its re-opening, it seems fitting to deal with some of the issues that waiting can cause in the heart and minds of prospective parents. It is difficult to wait and seems that precious time is being wasted. Having adopted internationally and been through the waiting game, I feel that I can honestly say that time put into regulation and written procedure will bring a positive result. It may not seem like it but the wait will end and a strong, healthy adoptive relationship will be re-established. I cannot stress enough that this takes time, effort and cooperation. I… [more]

At this point, there is so little information available on Vietnam adoption that it is difficult to up date you. I know that Vietnam has been working on its Hague Convention Certification. In order for that to be fulfilled, both Vietnam and the United States have to come to a bilateral agreement. It is an difficult process and takes time and negotiation. I did track down information that pointed to fraudulent behavior at one point between Vietnam and another country [not US.] The allegations were that thirteen children were placed for adoption when they should not have been. I would guess this case caused the move toward Hague status to ensure that there are no future occurrences such as this one. There was talk of… [more]

Adoption from the country of Vietnam continues to be 'closed for renovations', if you will. Several years ago, amidst severe allegations of corruption, Vietnam chose to join the Hague Convention. The Hague Convention is Convention Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. It is a regulated approach to adoption that works toward the elimination of fraud, abuse and corruption. This convention was put into place for international adoption to protect the children who were involved, the parents of those children and the adoptive family on the other end. As Vietnam and the United States work toward this goal, those of you who desire to adopt from this country are left waiting. Take heart in your wait. With some of the… [more]

Looking back into the adoption status of this country has wielded little. Though I stated in an earlier post that the new adoption law was to take effect in the beginning of January 2011, I can find no more information stating that it has. The most recent post by the  Joint Council dates back to July 2010. Again, this stresses that there is a lot of 'work' that must be completed between the United States and Vietnam in order for intercountry adoptions to re-open. Vietnam has to either become party to the Hague Convention or install a bilateral agreement with the United States. Hopefully, that is one the horizon... All of the work that Vietnam must do in order to re-open an adoption relationship… [more]