The situation in Vietnam

After a long period of relative quietness things developed quickly over the weekend. On Friday the US side issued its report, which detailed instances of corruption. Then on Monday Mr. Long from the DIA issued his response, which was a rejection of the US findings and the announcement that dossiers for new adoptions will only be accepted until July 1.

It appears that each side has drawn a line in the sand and if nothing changes adoptions of Vietnamese children by US citizens will wind down in late summer. I know that many people who are in the process of getting their paperwork filed are upset. I remember how frazzled I was when I started the adoption process--in January 2005. It took me nearly three years to bring Henry home. I hope that those who are discouraged will keep hope for the future of their families.

In my opinion there is a gap between what the US finds acceptable and what Vietnam finds acceptable. Reading the response Dr. Long says bribing of some officials may take place but he vehemently denies that any "baby buying" is taking place. It seems that Vietnam has no problem with paying officials a little extra. I've read about the same thing in Ukraine--they call it "expedite fees" but in the US we would call it a bribe. It's accepted and not considered illegal or unethical there. That is just one example, I'm sure there are other examples where there are cultural clashes.

Maybe it all needs to come down to the Hague convention and both countries deciding to abide by that agreement. It is an international agreement that seeks to bridge the differences that seem to be causing so many problems now. I am hopeful that a solution will be found one way or another.

I don't know much beyond my own experience. I'm so pleased that I was able to bring Henry to Texas and make him part of my family. I'm happy that we were able to find Joe and Katie and reunite Henry with his brother, and that all of us are amenable to maintaining a close (if geographically distant) relationship.