Mumsnet Talk

I've name-changed - I'm Black Country Woman from above.

I contacted a lawyer who recommends waiting for a year while Vietnam puts in place the aspects of the Hague convention. He also said that adopting at this time is much better than the past but still unpredictable in terms of success / time frame. They are willing to help legally at this time regardless.

Hanh My I have no idea what to suggest to help you - I would guess a lawyer. PM me for details of a firm with experience of adoption - offices in Hanoi & HCMC.

Noeintracy Going by Snowdon's case it seems getting a home study done before you come over to VN would probably be advisable.

I'm still clueless on how to actually begin the process while living here . I'm not aware of any agencies who could help.

Hi I would really appreciate your help

I am Vietnamese my Husband is British

we currently live in Vietnam where my husband works

we have a Vietnamese adopted daughter aged ten and a naturally born son age 6 and a half

My son has a british passport but I would like to achieve the same thing for my daughter - I guess we need to live in the UK right and apply to the courts - how difficult is it to adopt in the UK your advice would be much appreciated

I'm a British citizen living in New Zealand.... does anyone know who/what/how for me to adopt? I would be happy to live and work in Hanoi for a year.

Congrats Snowdon!

I am currently in Vietnam and have been here for 2 years. I'm happy to help with questions about living here.

I would love to adopt but very nervous. DH is a US citizen and the US has put all adoptions on hold until Vietnam satisfies the demands of the Hague convention. They have just signed up to it but it will be a couple of years before the process meets the specifications.

It seems from your experience that perhaps we could adopt and then help the child become a British citizen. I'm terrified of never being able to take him / her to the states to meet the rest of the family however.

Congratulations Snowdon!
Some of our friends think that I am utterly bonkers to be thinking of relocating to complete an adoption abroad, so it is HUGELY encouraging to hear a success story from someone who did just that. Most of the places we have considered require a year of residency, so six months in Vietnam almost sounds speedy in comparison! Wishing you and your newly expanded family all happiness in the future.

Snowdon, I would love to talk with you if you are available? I am really keen to adopt from Vietnam and am definitely willing to move out there to make it happen. Your post came up in Google when I was trawling (yet again!) for information.

I have just read this read also and am considering adopting from vietnam. Snowdon I would be interested in chatting if possible. Next year I am moving to either Vietnam or Singapore

Have just read this thread - a few months late! - as we are seriously considering doing what you have done Snowdon and would love to talk if at all possible as I still have so many questions.

Hi Snowdon - Congratulations. We have been living in Vietnam for 2 years now and are also considering adopting but am having trouble finding out much info on how we go about getting started with the whole process. Did you go through a local agency/orphanage? Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

I too am plnning a return when DS is about 10 - can you believe he starts school in Spet

Good news that SS is providing support - I think we are spoilt for support here and luckily the school psychologist who moves into post when DS goes to school was on the adoption team prior to that. DS will also go to school with a friedn who is also transracially (domestically) adopted so we very lucky. SO far no real sign of adoption issues - his issue at the moment is not having a daddy at home though he does seem to accept my explanations and is happy to talk about it still.

No doubt more issues ahead! But so far perfectly normal (annoying) four year old.

mwah mwah Kewcumber!

We're all really well. How are you both?

We have asked for and social services are supplying :faint: some very light-weight intervention for DD2. She's absolutely thriving at home and at school but, on a very subtle level, is finding it hard intellectually and emotionally to integrate her pre-adoption story into her life and we and the SWs thought that some very gentle, very low-key therapy now might help her to do that and avoid more significant problems later.

The birth-country visit is just pie-in-the-sky at the moment but I want it to happen when DD1 is old enough to understand and explain how she feels about the experience but young enough to avoid an adolescent maelstrom. I suspect that gives us about a six month window of opportunity.

Issy! Mwah mwah!

How are you and your family - how exciting a broth country trip - so jealous I'd like to go back every year if funds allowed...

Hi Snowdon, I'm a very irregular visitor to Mnet but occasionally browse the Adoption threads. I just wanted to say "Congratulations" on your VN adoption. We adopted DD1 from VN in 2001 when DD1 was 4 months old. I spent about 5 weeks in Hanoi and we're hoping to make a return visit next year. We're not thinking of adopting again though! We adopted DD2 from Cambodia in 2003 and we're done .

Hi Kewcumber!

sorry- over in Wiltshire where we have a great ICA toddler group.thanks for asking though.

Brainmish and Snowdon - if you are in the london area, would you be interested in a trans-racial adoption group?

lovely to read you story Snow. We adopted from Thailand 18 months ago and would love to adopt again but the wait for Thailand is prohibitive.WE might look into this route. We aso ove Vitenam and spent some time there 2 years ago and a friend of mine lives in Hanoi working for UN.congratulations on your expanding family.

i admire your dedication snowdon. Its quite something to move to another country with your 4 year old and leave your family, home , work and husband for 10 months, then arrive home with a new baby. Your older son/daughter must be very adaptable.

Best wishes with your UK adoption and in your new family life

Yes they do allow single adoptions. It is not that expensive in Vietnam. It is not like living here, but not cheap as chips either. If it is just you you can live in Danang or somewhere cheaper and spend about $600 a month tops. I stayed in Hanoi as i had a child to think of and i had to pay for school and a reasonable place to live. Depends of how you want to live. You can share a house with other expats and you could work. would cost almost nothing, you may even make money. There are plenty of jobs available to Expats once you get there. Teaching is easy to come by.

thanks for the info. May well pick your brain if it ever becomes necessary - I think most people aren't in a position to move for so long for financial reasons but its possibly an option for some.

Do you know if they allow single adoptions?

Dcsf fine about issuing cert of eligibility. I upped sticks with my son age 4, husband stayed here. The cert of eligibility (CE) is only valid in vietnam for 6 months as are all the other papers, police checks, medical, so i moved to Vietnam before we had the CE. By the time the papers were ready here i had done my 6 months. It is a bit tricky but no harder that doing a degree or a half demanding job. Vietnam was great. excellent expat community. We had a great time, it is still deemed a hardship posting for people that go there to work. It is a developing country. Great to have spent so much time in the country of birth of our adopted child, we know vietnam so well.

and you didn't have any problems getting DCFS giving you a certificate of eligibility for Vietnam? Sorry to be nosy but my experience of DCFS is anything out of the ordinary tends to take forever!

Being even more nosy - so did you both up sticks and move to vietnam?! Blimey I was in Kazkahstan for 3 months and that felt long and lonely enough!

I did my home study here in the UK before i left. Moved to Vietnam for 10 months. The visa for our adopted child was issued within 4 weeks. We are now adopting our child here in the UK, having done 6 months residency here. It is really relatively straight forward.

congratulations snowdon

i assume you will have to re adopt your child in the British courts, as vietnam is not a designated country?

ah OK so not a route available to anyone who can;t be resident for at least 6 months. Presumably you didn;t have a problem getting an entry visa for your child as there's no real guideline as to how long you need to live with the child overseas before being able to apply to return home without doing a UK home study.

Did that make sense?!

I was resident in Vietnam for 10 months. You need to be resident for 6 months to be able to adopt. They say they are tightening the laws, but i dont know to what degree. There are still many thousands of adoptions a year from Vietnam to France, Spain and Italy. I am not sure where else. The agreements broke down with the US and Ireland in the last year or 2.