[charlotte16]

Hi,
I know that things are just getting up and running with the agreement between VN and the US. Does anyone know yet if there has been a set fee for adoption for agencies to charge? I guess i mean is there a set fee for a foreign fee and then in addition to that is there an agency fee too? In the past there were 2 fees...agency and foreign fee. I guess I am a bit confused!

[sak9645]

No foreign country can tell an American agency what to charge.

The foreign fee will cover things like any mandatory orphanage donation, the child's paperwork costs, finalization costs, etc.

American agencies handle fees differently. Some report a base fee, which is simply what the agency gets, and then list out other expenses that you will incur, like airfare, hotels, in-country travel, guide/translator services, and so on. Others roll certain services into the base fee, like the in-country travel and the guide/translator services.

Sharon

[mimc]

Charlotte,

I received an informational packet from an agency that is currently accepting applications for Vietnam. PM me if you want their info. We are looking at this particular agency for China, btw. I don't have the paperwork in front of me, but I recall them estimating that an adoption from Vietnam would cost around $20,000 or so, once you figure in travel, fees, etc. So more expensive than China, but not as costly as Russia. Hope that helps!

[brendanod]

This e-mail is from My Linh who handles Irish people adopting from Vietnam. My Linh is a US citizen and the following is her reply to an e-mail I had sent her asking "what is the situation with US people who wish to adopt from Vietnam"

Thank you for your email and I am glad to reply to your inquiry. The US and Vn bilateral agreement is a very general agreement, there are more issues and matters that will have to be worked out between the US embassy and USINS and the VN IAD in Hanoi when it is the time to enforce the agreement.

In addition the bilateral agreement must be approved by the VN PM and the VN IAD official told me that it is anticipated within 2 months. Then the US and the IAD will have to work out about the fee, the proof of expenses and fee which parents pay for their adoption, the responsibility of the IAD vis a vis the provinces which place children for adoptions with US families and then it is the time for US agencies to apply to obtain their license to operate in VN!

Of course at this moment and point it is not wise to ask the parents who wish to adopt in VN to pay some fee to the US agencies but you know what can we do? there are different kinds of people living and doing business in this world!

I have not thought or decided whether or not I will work with US agencies (assuming they will hire me! perhaps they will not!) and US adoptions in the future. For now I am pretty busy I still am the only facilitator for the IAB and the Irish parents adoptions in VN, and I also work with a very well known French humanitarian agency for its VN program!

Thank you for writing to me! Hope this is helpful to you!

mylinh

[charlotte16]

Thanks Brendonod...the fee I meant was the one that the 2 countries are working out as your reply states. I guess it still has yet to be determined.