Vietnamese Adoptions

Learn the many requirements when adopting a Vietnamese child and what to expect in theadoption process.

One of the most popular foreign countries to adopt from is Vietnam. This country is highly populated and poverty stricken, which leaves many children out in the cold. One of the reasons the country is popular for adoption is because of the high number of children available.

There is also less wait time than with domestic children in Vietnam.

The age range of children that get adopted in Vietnam fall between four months and one year old, though, there are children who are older that need homes. Also there are many more male children waiting to be adopted than female. If you are looking to adopt a girl from Vietnam, the wait could be a very long time.

A person cannot just get a plane and hope for the best. There are stipulations when it comes to adopting Vietnamese children. The Vietnam government has set up certain requirements for its adoptive children.

- Anyone wishing to adopt must adopt a Vietnamese child that is at least 20 years younger than them. However, if the prospective parents are over 50 their options are limited to only older children.

- Married couples (are considered a man and a woman in this situation) should be married for at least two years before applying to adopt a Vietnamese child. If a couple is divorced, they may not be divorced more than twice or they will not be considered.

- If you have a large family, you can be denied the right to adopt. Families who have no children are not allowed to choose the gender of a child if they are wishing to adopt in Vietnam. If prospective parents only have a couple of children, they can be specific in the type of child they would like to have.

The cost of Vietnamese adoptions is also very high. Between the agency, costs of travel, paperwork and anything else that goes into the adoption, prospective parents could be looking at $30,000. Make sure you find an agency that specializes in Vietnamese or foreign adoptions.

While the cost may be high, getting the right agency will make the hassles less and the adoption process easier to handle.

There is no time table on the length of the adoption process. Vietnam passed new laws in 2005, which changed some of the adoptions laws. This is another reason why it is imperative on finding the right agency. The process starts by filling out an application to be considered for adopting a Vietnamese baby. Once the paperwork is filled out, notarized and sent to Vietnam, a home study is done on the applicants. A home study is a report by a case worker on the prospective parents.

Once all the requirements have been accepted and verified, prospective parents will get referrals on children they could adopt. When parents have decided on a child, they fill out a dossier, a packet of paperwork, and send it to the Vietnamese authorities. If the dossier is approved, you will be given a date on when you pick up your new Vietnamese adopted child.

The stay can last anywhere from a week to two weeks, depending on the circumstances. Then, you get to bring your Vietnamese child to its new home.