A friend from San Francisco, Cindy Bailey, has done what many fantasize about doing (at least I do!), which is sell everything, pull up stakes, and travel around the world with her husband and two young children. Cindy documents her journey in her terrific blog, “My Little Vagabonds.” This week, she wrote about her family’s visit to the Vung Tau orphanage in Vietnam.

Cindy reports that Vung Tau director, Le Thi My Huong, was adopted to Australia at age 5 during Operation Babylift. Very unfortunately (in my opinion), My Huong’s adoptive parents told My Huong her parents were dead, and forbade her to speak of Vietnam. Having been 5 when she was adopted, My Huong remembered a different truth, and returned to her village at age 35 to search for and find her birth mother and family.

In this week’s blog post, Cindy Bailey describes My Huong’s journey–including her own adoption of two boys from Vietnam, now 5 and 13–as well as the mission and workings of the Vung Tau orphanage. It’s a fascinating read.

Vietnam is now a signatory to the Hague, so adoptions to the US are allowed, with restrictions. I personally am not conversant on the terms between our two countries, but My Huong says this: “In 2009 we had 110 adoptions. This year, none, because of those international laws. Kids have to be adopted from within their country first, and the Vietnamese don’t believe in adoption unless it’s within the family.” A link in the article will direct you to the US State Department website for more information.~

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