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 parents (PAPs) are feeling lost and unsure as to how to find current, honest information about adoption agencies. It’s hard to know who to trust, especially when you’re receiving conflicting views of an agency. Here are some ideas about how to research adoption agencies.

• Number one, only consider agencies that are licensed by Viet Nam. According to Viet Nam-United States Memorandum of Understanding, only licensed adoption agencies are to perform adoptions from Viet Nam. There are agencies who are offering their licenses to smaller, less established agencies and allowing them to work under the umbrella of their license. Especially now, with all the issues and problems currently going on, I urge all PAPs to only consider working with licensed agencies who are not involved in partnership or umbrella agreements. Granted, a license does not equal an ethical agency, but it’s a first step in narrowing down your choices.



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  Cast a wide net when soliciting opinions of agencies. It’s a good idea to call an agency’s reference list, but those reports are likely to all be glowing and not necessarily indicative of everyone’s experiences with the agency.
• Read my posts here and here about different Viet Nam adoption listservs and forums. I would recommend joining them all and start digging through the messages to find ones that pertain to the agency you’re looking into.
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  Speak to the agency directly. Try to speak directly to the facilitator/director/person who actually works with Vietnamese officials. Be prepared with the questions that you would like to ask (I will be posting a list of possible questions later this week to give you some food for thought.)
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  Trust your gut. If you feel at all uneasy about information you have been given or accounts you have heard by others, trust yourself. Choosing the people who will bring you together with your child is a huge undertaking, and it’s important to be completely comfortable with your decision.

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More Reading:
How to Choose an Ethical Adoption Agency
Red Flags - What to Look For When Choosing an Adoption Agency
Beware of Agency Umbrellaing