[sak9645]

The U.S. and Vietnam have signed an agreement that will allow adoptions to resume.

They have not resumed yet, however. First, Vietnam wants to accredit only certain agencies to place children from that country. Most agencies have already submitted applications for accreditation, but no accreditations have yet been granted. They are likely to come early in the New Year, however.

Also, while most agencies assume that the eligibility guidelines for parents will be similar to those used in the past or those used currently by countries other than the U.S., there is no confirmation of that fact. In addition, things like time frames are still unknown.

As a result, if you are interested in Vietnam, you should probably wait until early in 2006, when the situation becomes more clearly defined. Although some agencies are currently taking applications and fees, you should probably refrain from sending any money until you know for sure that the agency will be accredited and that you will be eligible.

And if you are very risk-averse, you may well want to wait until some kids actually start coming home from Vietnam. That way, you can get a better sense of the time frame, the age and health status of the referred children, the total costs, etc.

Sharon