Adopted Children Immigrant Visa Unit

Selecting an Adoption Agency

The first step in beginning the adoption process for Vietnam is choosing an adoption agency. With very few exceptions, the Vietnam Department of International Adoptions (DIA) will only accept adoption applications (“dossiers”) from adoption agencies licensed by the Government of Vietnam. Click here for a list of U.S. agencies licensed to process adoptions in Vietnam. Some adoption agencies that are not licensed in Vietnam have enter into “umbrellaing agreements” with licensed agencies. These agreements are purportedly allow the clients of non-licensed agencies to adopt in Vietnam. The Department of International Adoptions has stated that these agreements are illegal according to Vietnamese law, and the applications of parents using these agencies may be denied.

The selection of an adoption agency is one of the most important decisions that you will make. We strongly urge American citizens contemplating intercountry adoption to retain the services of a reputable adoption agency in the U.S. A good agency will carefully supervise the foreign providers with whom it works. Adopting parents should question their agency about the qualifications and experience of any facilitators it might use in a foreign country and the degree to which the agency supervises and assumes responsibility for the actions of its agents or facilitators. We encourage adopting parents to consider carefully their decision to use a particular agency if that agency asserts that it is not responsible for the actions of its agents or facilitators.

There have been a growing number of irregularities appearing in orphan petitions and visa applications in Vietnam, including fraudulently documenting the abandonment of children, offering monetary inducements to families for relinquishing children, and offering children for international adoption without the consent of the birth parents. In many cases these irregularities appear to be linked to individuals acting as facilitators in the adoption process.  Foreign agents and facilitators, while employed by or acting in concert with American adoption service providers, may be subject to little or no oversight. When standardized licensing is not required, it can be difficult to hold agents and facilitators accountable for fraud, malfeasance, or other bad practices in general.  Under these circumstances the Department of State cannot endorse individual adoption facilitators in a given country.

Prospective adoptive parents should check with the relevant State licensing agencies and consumer protection agencies, such as the Better Business Bureau, regarding the qualifications of and possible complaints against adoption agencies. Contact information for State licensing agencies is available from Child Information Gateway. There are also numerous Web sites with information for prospective adoptive parents, including comments on adoption service providers. Please note, however, that the Department of State cannot endorse nor assume any responsibility for the content of these Web sites.

Prospective adopting parents should also discuss the issue of fees with their agency. The agency should be able to provide them with a complete schedule of fees for their adoption. Prospective adopting parents should note that currently fees can very significantly between provinces and agencies. Additionally, the Department for International Adoptions has informed the Embassy that direct cash parents from adopting parents to orphanages and orphanage staff in Vietnam are a violation of Vietnamese law and regulations.

Thing to Consider

The following questions may be helpful to perspective adopting parents. While these questions are indicative of some of the issues you should consider, the list is by no means exhaustive.

• How long has the agency been in business? How long specifically in Vietnam?
• Who are the facilitators working on behalf of the agency?
• How long have each of the facilitators worked in Vietnam adoptions and in what capacity? What is their experience?
• Where is the agency’s office or offices in Vietnam?
• How many Vietnam staff work for the agency in Vietnam in any capacity? Are these full time, part time or volunteer workers?
• What humanitarian aid programs does the agency run? Are these programs run through a separate organization or managed directly by the agency?
• What humanitarian projects, if any, did the agency participate in during the 2003-2005 suspension of adoptions between the US and Vietnam?
• How much money does the agency dedicate to humanitarian aid per year?
• What orphanages does the agency support?
• Does the agency contract place any restrictions on comments made by their clients? If so, why? 
• How many adoptions have been completed by the agency since 2006?
• How many waiting families, approximately, are currently in your program?
• What is the agencies fee structure?  Have Adopting parents been asked to carry cash payments to Vietnam?  If so, why?
• Does the agency have teen and adult adoptee resources or support programs?

Useful Links

• How to Assess the Reputation of Licensed, Private Adoption Agencies, National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
• Why Should Adoptive Parents Care About Ethics and Fraud, Ethica
• Choosing an Adoption Service Provider, Ethica
• Using an Adoption Agency, Better Business Bureau
• State, County, and City Government Consumer Protection Services
• State Attorney General Listing