When Viet Nam and the United States signed their bilateral adoption agreement, it was agreed upon that Viet Nam would issue an official fee statement documenting the fees that would be paid to the country of Viet Nam in an international adoption. Well, it’s been well over a year and we have yet to see that official statement from Viet Nam’s Department of International Adoption. This missing fee schedule is one of the things that have people in the adoption community worried that the bilateral agreement did little to positively affect international adoptions from Viet Nam.

Hopefully, things will soon change. According to the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS,) an official adoption related fee schedule is to be released this month. Mr. Vu Duc Long, Director of Viet Nam's Department of International Adoption, was in the United States this past July and informed the U.S. Government that the schedule was to be released.

Having an official fee schedule will help illustrate Viet Nam’s commitment to the bilateral agreement and give adoptive parents a clearer picture of the costs involved in an adoption from Viet Nam. I really have no idea why it took them so long, and that is troubling, but if the schedule is released as it is said to be, it’s at least a step in the right direction. Licensed adoption agencies and Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) alike will benefit from having a clear cut, official fee schedule.

You can find the full text of the bilateral agreement between Viet Nam and the U.S. on the matter of adoption HERE. All concerned people involved in Vietnamese adoptions should make themselves familiar with the agreement. PAPs should be especially concerned with the text of the agreement, as it will help them make informed decisions about agency selection and the adoption process as a whole.

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Related Reading:
Current List of Licensed Adoption Agencies in Viet Nam
How to Choose an Ethical Adoption Agency
Red Flags: What to Look Out For When Choosing an Adoption Agency