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Frances Fitzgerald, TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, today hosted a Family Day in Farmleigh for Minister Cuong, Vietnamese Minister for Justice, and a delegation of Vietnamese officials. Minister Cuong, and senior officials from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, are visiting Ireland for the purposes of finalising and signing an administrative arrangement for intercountry adoption between Ireland and Vietnam.

Minister Fitzgerald stated: "I am very glad to have this opportunity to bring the Vietnam delegation to Farmleigh to meet and mingle with a large number of Irish families with Vietnamese connections. Many of the children have been adopted from Vietnam and it afforded the delegation time in their busy schedule to meet these children and their families in Farmleigh.

Minister Fitzgerald stated the emphasis of the visit is the finalisation of the Administrative Agreement which will copper fasten the intercountry adoption relationship between the central authorities for adoption of Ireland and Vietnam. Minister Fitzgerald stated "the aim of the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption, and my aim, is to put in place an adoption process that will underpin safe and secure intercountry adoption. Since taking office I have made great efforts, as have my Department, and the Adoption Authority of Ireland, to develop an Administrative Agreement with Vietnam, including meetings in Dublin, London and Vietnam in the past year. I hope Ireland and Vietnam will forge a close understanding and working relationship between the adoption authorities in both countries. I want to commend the work of the Adoption Authority of Ireland and its Chairman Geoffrey Shannon in bringing this process to a successful conclusion. I look forward to the signing of the agreement tomorrow, which will be the first international administrative agreement on adoption entered into by Vietnam since their ratification of the Hague Convention."

Minister Fitzgerald stated that the day also allowed the families to demonstrate the efforts that they and the children are putting into maintaining their Vietnamese cultural identity and heritage. The Minister stated "the most enjoyable part of today’s events undoubtedly is to experience the joy of so many children and families happy and comfortable in all the elements of their culture and heritage"