From the Vietnamese Press, clarification on the deadline dates and also a glimmer of hope for the future of adoptions from Vietnam…
Head of the Ministry’s Department for International Child Adoption Vu Duc Long added that Vietnam will stop taking new adoption applications from the US from July 1.
According to the official, the decision not to renew the agreement is based on Article 25 of the agreement and the proposal of the US Embassy in Vietnam on Feb. 1 in its diplomatic note numbered 0135/08.
“The Vietnamese side will only process applications that it receives before July 1 and meet all requirements. The applications for which no suitable baby is found before the expiration of the agreement on September 1, 2008 will be returned to the US, Long stressed.
However, he noted, after the termination of the agreement, Vietnam and the US can still cooperate in the issue through a new agreement or the mechanism of the Hague Adoption Convention in which Vietnam may take part in the future.
I am happy to see Dr. Long looking into the future and considering a new agreement, or (even better, in my opinion) joining the Hague Adoption Convention. Clearly though there are issues that need to be resolved before that can happen, and I see this as all the more reason to take Linh’s advice and advocate for greater integrity in the international adoption process. It would be wonderful if this lapse in the Memorandum actually resulted in a better, more ethical system that truly serves the needs of the children. The way I see it, our job here at VVAI (and the job of every adoptive parent of a child from Vietnam) has only just begun.
8 Responses
I would love to see a new agreement reached, or VN joining the Hague countries. Hopefully, any new agreement can address the problems we encountered under the current MOU. I think better oversight of the provinces is key – I believe the report indicated that too much latitude is given to the orphanage directors, so you have situations where one orphanage is operating properly and one is not.
Thanks for posting this, dare I call it the first bit of “good” news in the past week?
[…] and resolution, but then again it could just be my naivity again. In anycase, head on over to VVAI to read their latest […]
I can’t even tell you how predictable this is all starting to feel.
Indeed.
Have switched from our agency’s VNam program to a domestic program. Babies need families; we’ve been at it for over a year for VNam and will not get a referral by Sept. 1, so we’re back at the beginning. Enough already. We don’t feel up to waiting for one of the two governemnts to blink first and get things going again.
As a single woman seeking to adopt from Asia, my heart is broken. I was on a waiting list for China and could not get the paperwork done before China changed their regulations. I waited for my agency to get their certification in Vietnam and now they are closing adoptions. I understand the issues, but there are hundreds of children waiting in orphanages. While I will feel the loss forever if an agreement isn’t reached, the children are the ones who suffer the most. I applaud and pray for those wonderful people who continue to fight for ethical adoption procedures and can only hope an agreement can be reached.
Our hearts are broken, too. All in all the REAL evidence of this entire situation points to these facts:
1. SOME unethicial adoptions have taken place in SOME (actually “very few” would also be a fair term) provinces in Viet Nam.
2. Recognizing #1 above, the Vietnamese government STOPPED adoptions from those countries.
3. IGNORING Vietnamese action in #2, the USDOS issued an inflammatory, insulting statement that generalized to the ENTIRE adoption process in Viet Nam.
4. Because of #3 above, the PM in Viet Nam basically said, “well F*&$ you then!” and declared that Viet Nam would NOT renew the MOU.
5. Thousands of children are continuing to suffer in lackluster conditions in Vietnamese orphanages and my wife and I (and countless others) have wasted tens of thousands of dollars and will have no baby to take for, to love. We–and most people in this situation–have gone into financial dire straits to finance this action to help take care of an innocent little one that needs a family to just be slapped in the face by CIS and USCIS.
6. If you don’t believe that this is a George Bush administration-supported, UNICEF-sanctioned, xenophobic plot to end all intercountry adoption, then you are just naive.
My heart is broken. I am so disgusted with our government that I am sick to my stomach.
I have been out of touch for awhile.
My friend just got a referral of a baby boy and are expected to travel to VN in 4-6 months.
Can they still travel after Sept 1st??
Thanks
I think I am going to be making the switch to domestic as well. I don’t see the Vietam situation changing anytine soon and I am tired or all of the emotional ups and downs. My agency is great and they continue to be optimistic, but I have lost all hope of adopting from Vietnam.