Comments on: Adoptions from Vietnam may not be recognised, says board

By: una mullen

una mullen — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:09:58 +0000

I am coming into this a bit late I know but first let me say I am an AP and I am Irish. There are problems in Vn. There are many parents concerned and actively trying to confirm the abandonment stories of their children. Not all of us have our heads in the sand. They are getting no help from the IAB and are being criticised by many PAPs. As for the “Relinquishment Law” I can confirm 100% it never exsisted. It was invented to stop parents querying the number of abandoned children in Thai Nguyen.

By: Bella

Bella — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:30:22 +0000

Frances it was the ‘Daily Mail’. As a previous person mentioned it is the equivalent of the National Enquirer(or The Sun). Photographs of smiling mothers and babies doesn’t in any way prove any of what the reporter claims. What is the forum? Do you have a link?

In relation to Thai Nguyen it was illegal to relinquish a child until very recently.

By: Frances

Frances — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:47:11 +0000

Colm thank you for pointing me in the direction of the iaa. Unfortunately the statement just seems to want to cover up any wrong doing. While I agree no one can just arrive in Vietnam, hand over cash and take home a child, the reporter stated he did visit a baby brooker and had photos of many pregnant women, these women were paid for their newborns , the newborns were then sent next door to Lang son orphanage where the Irish paps adopted them legally.
I understand the paps did not know the truth, but it seems to me by reading on line forums some paps are in denial and just want this covered up. Why are they not shouting for this to be investigated further instead of shouting that its all lies ?
Mary no sorry, it does not seem to be on line, only the uk version.

By: Colm

Colm — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:15:24 +0000

Hi Frances,
I am an Irish pap hoping to adopt from Vietnam. This is the first time i have come across this site. The first thing i would like to say is that any pap i have met and my wife and i would want any adoption to be open and transparent for our own peace of mind and for the child’s life-story in years to come. Secondly the story appeared in a tabloid news paper which a lot here in Ireland would probably put on the same level as the National Enquirer. Thirdly what the reporter omitted in his story is that if he had “bought” the child he would not be able to bring the child back to Ireland as the adoption would not be cleared by the Adoption Board here in Ireland through which all adoptions must be cleared. He would not have the relevant paperwork so would not be able to get a passport for the child which must be cleared in Vietnam. I do not deny that there are problems in relation to Inter-country adoptions but this story gave a lot of mis-information. there was a reply from the IAA which is a support group which should be read to give a better insight to what i tried to put into words above

By: Mary

Mary — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:31:23 +0000

Frances, Is the Irish Daily Mail (or Mail on Sunday or whatever it’s called now) online? The UK version is, but doesn’t mention the story on Irish adoptions. We have family connections in Ireland and would love to know more.

By: Frances

Frances — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:47:23 +0000

It has been reported this morning in the Irish Daily Mail that a reporter has uncovered a baby selling scam in Lang Son. The Vietnamese women are paid $200 to hand over their babies to the orphanage, the children are then adopted by Irish parents. The home they live in is right next door to the orphanage.
Couples are still preparing to go this week and collect children, even knowing they were bought from the mothers.

By: Frances

Frances — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:49:50 +0000

I have been following the discussions on Vietnam on an Irish parenting site and I am shocked at the amount of paps who do not want to believe anything underhand is happening in Vietnam. This is what was just posted on one such site

” By the way – the ‘horror’ aspect of the stories around adoptions by Irish couples can be grossly overstated. It seems most APs are quite happy with how their adoptions went – especially in recent years at least. Even if money can’t be accounted for, if it helped a girl choose to give a child up for adoption rather than have an abortion (Vietnam leads the way on that option), the child is thriving in ireland, and an AP couple are now fulfilled, how ‘horrible’ is that? Without doubt money should be removed from the equation, but APs should not be feeling in any way bad or guilty – they have done a wonderful thing.”

Some Irish paps seem happy to exploit poor Vietnamese birthmothers so that they can be “fulfilled “

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:29:02 +0000

I believe the US report is credible – just wish I understood the magnitude of the problems they discovered.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:22:27 +0000

Dawn – I do remember reading that relinquishments were not legal in Thai Nguyen.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:21:40 +0000

The original article says that the Irish government has put an interim agreement on hold pending review of two reports by the UN that followed the US report from last year. I do not believe the UN reports have been made public, but the article says the concerns found by the US are “reiterated in the two reports at present under consideration by the Minister.” I think it speaks volumes to the credibility of the US report that the UN has the same concerns as those raised back in 2007-2008.