merrion street

Frances Fitzgerald, T.D., Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, is meeting Mr. Ha Hung Cuong, Vietnamese Minister for Justice, of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam later this week and will carry out a series of engagements in relation to intercountry adoption between Ireland and Vietnam.

Minister Fitzgerald said "I have accepted an invitation from Mr Ha Hung Cuong, Vietnamese Minister for Justice, on behalf of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to visit Vietnam. It is also my intention to extend an invitation to the Vietnamese Minister for Justice to visit Ireland in the near future".

In that regard, my visit will coincide with an official visit by the Adoption Authority of Ireland, led by Mr Geoffrey Shannon to Vietnam where they will commence discussions on administrative arrangements for intercountry adoption between Ireland and Vietnam as provided for by Article 72 of the Adoption Act 2010.

The Minister said "I know a lot of Irish families have been very patient in regard to the long wait for Vietnam to complete the ratification of Hague. The re-establishment of our relationship with Vietnam in respect to intercountry adoption has been a priority for me since I became Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. I acknowledge the commitment of the Vietnamese Government to the establishment of a safe adoption regime under the Hague Convention and their continued commitment to engage with the Irish Government on this issue. I am hopeful that the progress made to date will continue and Vietnam’s arrangements for the adoption of children in need of homes will involve Irish families into the future.

While in Vietnam I have a comprehensive schedule of official meetings with representatives of the Vietnamese Government and a range of other official engagements.

In relation to the possibility of intercountry adoption between our two countries I will meet with Mr Ha Hung Cuong, Minister of Justice and Mr Nguyen van Binh, Director General of the Vietnamese Adoption Department.