Concerns About Adoptions From Vietnam

Posted by DipNote Bloggers
May 5, 2008
Vietnamese Vender Waving to Vietnamese Adopted Child

Americans adopt more children from foreign countries every year than all other countries in the world combined. The United States strongly supports international adoption as an option for children who need a family. The Department’s Office of Children's Issues works hard to support and assist American citizens interested in foreign adoptions.

Unfortunately, some international adoptions from Vietnam are not straightforward. Our colleagues on the ground in Vietnam have found serious irregularities, including forged or altered documentation, mothers being paid, coerced or tricked into releasing their children, and children offered for adoption without the knowledge or consent of their birth parents. (See Warning Concerning Adoptions in Vietnam) American parents shouldn’t have to question whether the child they’ve adopted and brought into their family was taken from unwitting birth mothers. And no parents should be coerced or tricked into relinquishing their children. Vietnam needs to strengthen procedures to protect children and parents to advance our common goal of protecting children, their birth parents, and adopting parents from exploitation.

International adoptions from Vietnam are governed by a Memorandum of Agreement, but the agreement expires on September 1. And last week, the Government of Vietnam announced it will not renew this agreement. The United States could consider drafting a new agreement. However, until Vietnam puts into place safeguards and procedures to protect babies and families involved in international adoptions, we will be unable to sign a new agreement .

The United States urges Vietnam to create an adoption system that is transparent and protects the children and parents involved. There currently is an adoption system that works, one the United States joined on April 1. (See The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption). Over 70 countries are members. If Vietnam joined the Hague Convention, the United States and Vietnam could ensure that adoptions take place in the best interests of children, free of abduction, sale, trafficking, or other abuses.



New Mexico, USA
May 5, 2008

Eric in New Mexico writes:

This may seem like an odd solution, but given a designated number of refugees the U.S. allows per year, what if some of those were granted status as orphans, where Dept. of State worked with orphanages directly to provide the opportunity for folks who are willing to adopt, do so without the risk of third party criminality involved?

Tennessee, USA
May 5, 2008

Joe in Tennessee writes:

The problem of International ethics goes beyond the paperwork and reaches into the very existence of all our beings. Why these childern are homeless is the real question that has to be addressed. Even here in America, there are so many children with no home. Most are due to ethics, not economics as much as in developing countries; but, the consequences of having children with no support functions available is the sole burden of the bearer, with the exception of rape victims.

What can you really say? If we are a Christian based country morally, then "For Jesus so loved the Children" ...any step to salvage a life is worthy.

The weak and the poor always suffer the most, which is not a good report card for the world after all the years of civil existence is it?

Syrian P.
May 6, 2008

SNP in Syria writes:

@ Joe in Tennessee -- Where in the Constitution and history of the United States it says that America is based on Christian theology and the Jesus myth? You must be relying on the Quakers, JW and Josef Smith golden tablets given to him by the angle Moroni.

But if you insist on fabricating such Christian history and value for America, was it a Christian way to slaughter the Indians, steal the land and shove them into reservations?

Tennessee, USA
May 8, 2008

Joe in Tennessee writes:

@ SNP in Syria --

  1. Want to start with the Scottish Rite Masons who had the guts to start the Revolution and form this country? You do not know American History apparently.
  2. Even if I agree with you, there is more than enough evidence to say Jesus was not a more then Mohamed was a myth. What people perceive as Religion is varied, but a constant in decision making world wide.
  3. You need to educate yourself to POINT IN TIME relationships of historical values of culture.
  4. You need to re direct your anger toward different views of God to another your own life. Syria was a homestead of Christian values, least you forget your heritage. You would not have Islam were it not for Christianity. That is the most confusing of issues to me in separation of beliefs on the common man level. This is how both sides have been controled through out history by both Religious demonations. How can one point of view be wrong if both are right?

No loving God would want a child to Starve and God Bless America for all the childern it feeds world wide.

May 9, 2008

John in Greece writes:

@ SNP in Syria -- Joe is right SNP.

Not only you translate history and religion subjectively, but also you never really interpreted how America was created.

You write:


"American" settlers who were reaching the New World back then were immigrants forced to go there. If they had not manage to survive, then the Indians would have killed those immigrants.
They had to fight for their lives, they had to survive and to achieve great things. And they did achieve The Greatest Things of the modern history, science, culture, democracy and civilization.

Besides, I would suggest that instead of analyzing the Christianity of the first U.S. settlers, on the same basis of your argumentation, we can talk about Muslim Holy Wars of the past. Although, I?m sure that you believe that these wars were Godly inspired and pure -obviously not for survival though.

Moreover, I do not quite understand this unexpected, strange love of yours about Indians. I think that your thesis has nothing to do with your sympathy for the natives, but with your hate for the United States.

Forrest L.
South Carolina, USA
June 4, 2008

Forrest in South Carolina writes:

To Whomever Should Read This:

The United States cannot and should not try to control the world. There are exploittions in domestic adoptions in this country. Why not ATTEMPT to repair that situation first?

The families who are following all the State Department and the Vietnamese government's guildelines for proper documentation to adopt a child are the ones who are being punished if WE do not renew this agreement!!!! That is no way to treat Americans who are honest and working hard with their accredited agencies to enable them to become parents.

My son and daughter-in-law are some of the Americans caught up in this nightmare. It is not fair or right for them to be penalized due to the illegal acts of others.

Vietnam is the ONLY country that would accept them to be parents due to my daughter-in-law's cancer 4 years ago. Guatemala is closed thanks to our government. This government needs to realize that their is corruption everywhere in this world and we cannot dictate to others what WE want.

This country is in a sad state and I shudder to think what is going to happen in the near future. Give these hardworking, honest Americans a break in order for them to give an orphan a home and life, none of which they will have if we continue to cutt off our ties to other countries. Who are we to set the standards for another country when the respected adoption agencies who work day in and day out strive to give Americans their dream to become parents.

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves as a country when our own citizens do not have a say in such a gut-wrenching subject.

AMERICA needs to tend to its own adoption issues here at home and allow the accredited adoption agencies do their work in Vietnam and elsewhere. We will not stop any illegal adoptions in Vietnam or elsewhere. They will always continue and just go from country to country.

Please give my son and daughter-in-law the chance to be called Mommy and Daddy. They need to know that our country is working on their behalf rather than against them.


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