VIETNAM TIES

December 28, 2008 - January 10, 2009  

Highlights:

  • Visit your child’s place of birth and/or orphanage 
  • Ties Program “Talk Times”
  • Child friendly & “Adoption Aware”
  • Travel to both North and South Vietnam

Vietnam has touched your family in a very special way. Adoptive parents have vivid memories of being in Hanoi or Saigon to bring home their son or daughter. Vietnam Ties is an opportunity for you to reconnect with those special places, and share them first hand with your children. All the stories your child has heard about seem to come alive as you walk down a familiar street or revisit a hotel you once stayed in.

Many families remember people too, such as a translator, or a caretaker important to their child. We will make every effort possible to see that you reconnect with those special people. Reminiscing is an important part of the journey, and points of connection establish a concrete setting for your child of when you became a family. Further, it is a chance for all of you to learn more about the fabulous Vietnamese people and culture together.

Our journey begins in Hanoi. With its old buildings, trees, and lakes, Hanoi has a charm most Asian cities have long since lost. In addition to sightseeing, we will also visit a school, Tu Liem Orphanage, and spend time with Mrs. Thuy from the former Claudia Hotel. We can add in other orphanages as they pertain to the families traveling. From Hanoi, we will travel to the spectacular Halong Bay where we will overnight on a houseboat. It is delightful and the scenery is magnificent. You’ll even have a chance to try kayaking if you’d like!

Leaving Hanoi, we fly to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) where we will visit Tam Binh Orphanage. Our travels also take us to the Mekong Delta, where river life is fascinating and people are very gentle. During our time in the Delta, we will visit the colorful floating market, and as part of a local humanitarian project, we will donate a sampan to a local farmer. Throughout our journey we will offer “talk times." Ties Programs travel with a social worker or adoption professional to facilitate optional discussion groups for adults and kids.

We staff all of our programs with an adoption professional/discussion facilitator…something we see as critical to your time in Vietnam if it is to be the identity building experience for your child, and the bonding experience you want it to be for your family. 

Traveling as a family to your child’s country of birth is a life changing experience. It fosters understanding, nurtures pride and creates family memories that last a lifetime.

READ WHAT FAMILIES HAVE TO SAY


"I think that the healthiest outcome of the trip for my daughter is that going with a large group 'normalized' her situation and her adoption story."
      ~ Bonnie MacAdam 


"A fabulous way for adoptive families to develop an understanding of the reasons and circumstances that resulted in their becoming a family."
      ~David Johnson


"It was exciting learning about my culture!"
      ~Zoe Kunze, age 9

"Your sensitivity to the needs of the children was so evident throughout the trip.  Tina came away with such a warm feeling for her heritage and a special bond with the kids who traveled with us."
        ~Nan Gray


“For the first time in my life, I felt complete and at peace with who I am.”
      ~Landy Hancock, 18


“I got to see that my birth place is good and better understood the struggles my birth family went through.”
      ~Matt Ouellette, 14


“As a grandma, it was so great to see the full circle of adoption.” 
        ~Barb Boersma (Grandma) 

For more information, contact Becca Piper.