There are a lot of worried people in the Vietnamese adoption world that are unsure about how to really find out about an adoption agency. As I mentioned in my earlier post, some agencies have families who have been issued NOIDS (notice of intent to deny) and this has caused a sense of panic among PAPs (prospective adoptive parents.) It’s hard to know who to trust and which agencies are ethical, but we have the power to do as much research as possible and find answers to the tough questions. If you are researching or currently working with an adoption agency that you are unsure about, continue... more

The Viet Nam adoption community is going through a tough time right now. NOIDS (notice of intent to deny) have been issued, a province has been temporarily stopped from referring children for adoption, and there will be a summit held next Wednesday to address all of this. Now, more than ever, prospective adoptive... more

Earlier today the Voices for Viet Nam Adoption Integrity blog published an account of the current state of Viet Nam adoptions from the director of Welcome House adoption agency. I read her words with care and was extremely interested to hear her perception of the current situation. One of the points that jumped clear off my laptop screen was one that concerned a provincial official that she spoke with. This official was disappointed and wondered why adoption agencies from the United States “only send families... more

The home visit that is part of all home studies is the one thing that most prospective adoptive parents (paps) worry about. Those who have been through a home visit already will reassure them that it’s really nothing to worry about, but I know from personal experience that those reassurances did little to calm my anxiousness. We were supposed to have our home study update visit yesterday, but our social worker had to reschedule. I’ll be sure to update once we reschedule, but for now I thought I’d spend some time going over how you can prepare for your home study.

*There was more flooding in central Viet Nam last week, and more lives were lost as a result of the torrential rains. Forty eight people were killed, several are missing and over two hundred are injured. The Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai was assessing the damage and organizing the effort to provide food, water and shelter to those left homeless. He also addressed the environmental impact of the floods and noted their efforts to prevent illness from spreading.

*A bomb... more

As I posted about a few days ago, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services is holding a summit to discuss the state of adoptions in Viet Nam. They have just announced the details of the summit and I thought it would be of interest to many readers of this blog. If you are a prospective adoptive parents (PAP) who is currently adopting from Viet Nam and haven’t heard about this summit from your agency, I would recommend contacting them. It is so important that all agencies attend, and I would be incredibly shocked if there are any that choose... more

Here we go…one step closer! I spoke with our social worker this evening and scheduled our home visit for this Sunday! I am really excited that we were able to schedule it so quickly, and I’m really looking forward to it. Ok, I’m mostly looking forward to B (our social worker, who also did Ella’s home visit and post placement) getting to see Ella! It’s been a year since we’ve seen her and I’m proud of how we’re all doing.

This time around we’re in a different house with three other adults, so I was worried about scheduling our visit at a time that would work for everyone involved.... more

Last week a reader wrote and asked me if there is a cultural respect issue to using Viet Nam as opposed to Vietnam. I’ve actually been asked this a few times before, and came up with enough material to warrant an entire post about it! As you know, I use Viet Nam in my writing, but it’s really just a matter of personal preference. Viet Nam and Vietnam are both widely recognized and accepted in western writing as being the name of the same country. As I did some digging online I realized that there are many who wondered which of the two spellings is the correct one. Here’s what I found.

Most... more

Welcome to the Viet Nam Adoption Blog Roll. Any blog authors who write blogs concerning adopting from Viet Nam are more than welcome to join us over here. There is so much for us all to learn from each other, and blogs are an excellent medium in which to share our lives, experiences, families and memories of Viet Nam. Families at all stages of the adoption process who have blogs are encouraged to join our blog roll.

I plan to keep this list going and will repost it monthly as sites are added. If you would like to be added to the Viet Nam Adoption Blog Roll, please post your link in the comments section below or email me at rebeccah@adoptionblogs.com

If... more

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