DOS Adoption Notice: Vietnam Update

Notice: Special Advisor Jacobs Visits Vietnam 

Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs recently met with host government officials in Vietnam to discuss Vietnam’s current progress on adoption reform to meet obligations under the Hague Convention and improve child welfare.  Vietnam became a party to the Hague Adoption Convention (the Convention) February 1, 2012, and is working on fully implementing a new adoption law, related decrees, and a public information strategy.  On September 7, 2012 the Prime Minister of Vietnam approved the three-year National Project designed to implement the Convention.  The United States continues to support Vietnam’s efforts to enhance its child welfare system and intercountry adoption process. 

Based on the information gathered from the Government of Vietnam and other adoption stakeholders, the Department is currently assessing whether consular officers will be able to certify that individual adoptions will comply with the Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, and U.S. implementing regulations.

We continue to caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that important steps must still take place to ensure that adoptions between Vietnam and the United States will comply with the Convention, U.S. law, and implementing regulations before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Vietnam may resume.  Adoption service providers should not initiate, nor claim to initiate, adoption programs in Vietnam until they receive notification from the Department of State that it will resume processing Convention adoption visa applications in Vietnam.
Updated information will be provided on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.

People for Ethical Adoption Reform
www.pear-now.org