Vietnam is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Therefore, all adoptions between Vietnam and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention.

Intercountry adoption from Vietnam remains suspended. Adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents should not seek or accept adoption referrals from Vietnam. There is no estimate as to when adoptions will resume.

On October 15, 2008, the Governments of Vietnam and the United States jointly announced that new intercountry adoptions between the two countries could not be processed until a new bilateral agreement is reached or until Vietnam joins the Hague Adoption Convention and implements a child welfare system that meets Convention standards. (Vietnamese law requires that a bilateral agreement or international convention must be in place to permit intercountry adoptions. The previous agreement between Vietnam and the United States expired September 1, 2008.) This decision was necessary due to non-compliance and evidence of significant irregularities, fraud, and the lack of sufficient legal safeguards in Vietnam's adoption process. Representatives from both countries understand that intercountry adoptions from Vietnam to the United States cannot resume until fundamental reforms are in place to ensure a transparent child welfare system that has the best interests of the children as its first priority, and that protects the fundamental rights of all parties.

Vietnam has signaled its intention to become a party to the Hague Adoption Convention and recently approved new adoption legislation to strengthen its domestic and international adoption process. Implementing regulations and procedures have not been finalized, and Vietnam has not formally announced a date for joining the Convention.

Updated information on recent developments can be found in the Adoption Notice for Vietnam.

U.S. Embassy in Vietnam
U.S. Embassy
Consular Section
Rose Garden Tower
170 Ngoc Khanh Street
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: 84-4-3850 5100
Fax: 84-4-3850 5026/ 3850-5145
Email: HanoiAdoptions@state.gov
Internet: http://vietnam.usembassy.gov

Vietnamese Adoption Authority
Ministry of Justice
Department of Adoption (DA)
58-60 Tran Phu Street
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: (84) (4) 3823-1137
Fax: (84) (4) 804-8400
Email: binhnv@moj.gov.vn
Internet: http://moj.gov.vn/en/Pages/home.aspx

Embassy of Vietnam
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
1233 20th Street, N.W.
Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: (202) 861-2293 or (202) 861-0694
Internet: http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/

Office of Children's Issues
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
SA-29
Washington, D.C. 20520
Tel: 1-888-407-4747
E-mail: AskCI@state.gov
http://adoption.state.gov

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
For questions about immigration procedures, call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC)
1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833)