Happy 2010! Over the holidays, we formally announced our adoption plans to our extended family and friends through a custom Christmas card I designed. Everyone really liked the design and idea so I thought I would include it.
I have been receiving a wonderful response to this blog and the support shown has been overwhelmingly amazing. Many people have sent messages requesting more detail into the process, and to post more pictures and information on VN, so I am going to try to do so to the best of my ability – which is limited as I am still trying to figure it all out.
THE ADOPTION PROCESS [information solely reflects
our agency]
CHILD AVAILABILITY
Both infant boys and girls are available, as are toddlers, sibling groups and special needs children. Parents may specify preferred sex but will be required to somewhat validate reasoning. To be adopted, the child must be under 15 years old and if over 9 years old, must give his/her own consent to the adoption. Boys and girls are generally available in equal numbers. For those that request infants, the babies tend to be about 3-4 months old at referral and approximately 5-6 months old when the parents travel to receive the child.
SIBLINGS & SPECIAL NEEDS
While there is a backlog of families waiting for single healthy infants, it is often difficult to find homes for siblings and those with special needs. As such, our agency will accept dossiers (translated mount of legal paperwork) of parents right away who are willing to adopt siblings or a special needs child. They are not subject to the usual wait list.
PARENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Any adult having reached the age of majority is eligible. Parents must be 20 years older than the child. Single females are eligible. Couples must be married more than 2 years. Unfortunately, same sex or common law marriages are not recognized by the country of Vietnam and therefore, are not eligible.
WHY CHILDREN ARE AVAILABLE
As mentioned in a previous post, VN does not approve of single parenthood, and poverty is extremely high.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
If birth family information is known it will be provided with the child's documentation. This is unavailable if child has been abandoned.
MEDICAL INFORMATION
Children are taken to an international medical clinic for examination and testing, as appropriate to the child's age. Information provided in referral typically includes general health status, length/height, weight, head circumference, and tests completed for all major diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Infants in VN are thankfully now immunized against hepatitis A, which is a tremendous reassurance.
INTER-COUNTRY TIME REQUIRED
One trip to Vietnam is mandatory. Legal guardianship of child is granted to adoptive parents in a VN court authorized building. It is called the “Giving and Receiving Ceremony”. Average length of stay is 2-3 weeks.
CITIZENSHIP
Upon entering Canada, the child will have Permanent Resident status. Canadian citizenship is not automatic and must be applied for by the parents. The child retains his/her Vietnamese citizenship.
POST ADOPTION REQUIREMENTS
Vietnam requires a legal commitment to submit two reports annually for the first three years, then one annual report until child reaches 18 years.
VIETNAM, THE COUNTRY
LAND & SEA
Although many North Americans still imagine Vietnam through the lens of war, it is in reality a country filled with captivating natural beauty and tranquil village life. Its highlands and rainforest regions, far from being devastated, continue to yield new species and team with exotic wildlife. Its islands and beaches are among the finest in all of Southeast Asia, and its cuisine is very possibly the most delicious you will ever find. Over two decades have passed since Vietnam was officially united, and in that time it has done a remarkable job of healing its wounds. Today, this gracious and graceful country is an outstanding travel destination. Shaped like an elongated S, Vietnam stretches the length of the Indochinese Peninsula and covers a surface area of 128,000 square miles--making it roughly the size of Italy. China lies to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and the South China Sea to the east.
Topographically, Vietnam is a verdant tapestry of soaring mountains, fertile deltas, primeval forests inhabited by exotic fauna, sinuous rivers, mysterious caves, otherworldly rock formations, and heavenly waterfalls and beaches. Beyond nature, the curious and open-minded visitor will find in Vietnam a feast of culture and history.
POPULATION & PEOPLE
VN is a country with 76,000,000 residents, of which more than half are children under 15. It is organized into some 55 provinces, each directed by a People’s Committee, the supreme authority, and each with one or more state-run orphanages. Eighty percent of these are ethnic Vietnamese, while the remaining twenty percent comprises more than fifty separate ethnic groups. About seven million of these ethnic minorities are members of the hill tribes or montagnards (French for mountain people), making their homes and livelihoods in the spectacular mountains of the north and central highlands. Among the many languages spoken in VN are Vietnamese, Chinese, English and French. Although it is a country with an extremely high literacy rate, the average income is still about $30 US per day.
VN can be thought of as comprising three unique areas: north, central, and south.
The North is known for its alpine peaks, the Red River Delta, the plains of Cao Bang and Vinh Yen, enchanting Halong Bay which the Vietnamese consider a wonder of the world.
This tranquil, magical bay is filled with more than a thousand limestone islands, which rise from the water in dramatic rock formations and harbour extensive grottos and caves. There is also the beautiful and historic Hanoi – the capital of VN. It is the second largest city and retains its French colonial ambiance. It is dotted with lakes and lovely parks.
In the South, visitors encounter modern life in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and the fertile alluvial delta of the Mekong River. HCMC is Vietnam's largest city. Inside this dense, teeming metropolis are countless links to the past, including a number of notable shrines and temples.
The richness of Vietnam's origins is evident throughout its culture. Spiritual life in Vietnam is a grand panoply of belief systems, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Tam Giao (which is a blend of Taoism, popular Chinese beliefs, and ancient Vietnamese animism)
The most important festival of the year is Tet, a week-long event in late January or early February that brings in and celebrates the new lunar year and the advent of spring. Celebration consists of both raucous festivity (fireworks, drums, gongs) and quiet meditation.
Vietnamese architecture expresses the natural balance and harmony that is evident in any of the country's vast numbers of historic temples and monasteries. The pre-eminent architectural form is the pagoda (a tower comprised of a series of stepped pyramidal structures) The pagoda form symbolizes the human desire to bridge the gap between the constraints of earthly existence and the perfection of heavenly forces. Pagodas are found in every province of VN.
NATIVE TONGUE
As a language, Vietnamese is exceptionally flexible and lyrical, and poetry plays a strong role in both literature and the performing arts. Folk art has experienced a resurgence in beautiful woodcuts, village painting, and block printing and Vietnamese lacquer art is another traditional medium and is of the most sophisticated in the world. Music, dance, and puppetry, including the uniquely Vietnamese water puppetry, are also mainstays of the
country's culture.
FOOD
Although rice is the foundation of the Vietnamese diet, the country's cuisine is anything but bland. Deeply influenced by the national cuisines of France, China, and Thailand, Vietnamese cooking is highly innovative and makes extensive use of fresh herbs, including lemon grass, basil, coriander, parsley, lime, and chili. Soup is served at almost every meal, and snacks include spring rolls and rice pancakes. The national condiment is nuoc mam (a piquant fermented fish sauce) served with every meal. Indigenous tropical fruits include bananas, pineapples, coconuts, lychees, melons, mandarin oranges, grapes, and exotic varieties like the three-seeded cherry and the green dragon fruit.
oh i LOVE the card ♥
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