The pictures below are the "referral" pictures I received of Patty in November 2002 before I went to Viet Nam in December 2002 with my fantastic Mom, Patricia (Patty is named after her).

Below is my Mom and me first meeting Patty at the orphanage in Hoa Binh, called the Hoa Binh Social Protection Center.

If you click Here you can see many pictures of the Center, thanks to the Lacey/Senderovitz family from Denmark who adopted their daughter Molly from there and took many pictures of the Center.

Below are pictures on December 12, 2002 -- the day we picked Patty up at the orphanage, dressed her up in her Ao Dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) and brought her to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony at the People's Committee at the Hoa Binh province. In the first picture you can see Patty's kind caretaker, Van. On that day, I became Patty's Mom. I am so lucky - to be blessed with a healthy, happy daughter and to have a wonderful Mom who helped me bring Patty to her new home.

VIET NAM

Links: The U.S.-Viet Nam Trade Council. And Viet Nam News and a photography site featuring Vietnam . Some recommended books:
Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam (Andrew X. Pham)
After Sorrow Comes Joy (Cherie Clark)
The House on Dream Street : Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam (Dana Sachs)
When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)
The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family (Duong Van Mai Elliot)
Shadows and Wind: A View of Modern Vietnam (Robert Templer)
The Unwanted: A Memoir (Kien Nguyen)
Bird of One Wing: A Vietnamese Woman's Story (Kieu Lien Le )

SOME RECOMMENDED FILMS:
Ham Tran: "Journey From The Fall"
Duki Dror: "The Journey of Vaan Nguyen"
Tony Bui: "Three Seasons"
Victor Vu: "First Morning"
Timothy Linh Bui and his brother, Tony Bui: "Green Dragon"
Tran Anh Hung: "The Scent of Green Papaya" ; "Cyclo" ; "The Vertical Ray of the Sun"

Here's Some More Links:

Family Web Sites with pictures of their precious children adopted from Viet Nam

Adopt Vietnam

Mamnon: Sharing Vietnamese Culture With the Adoptive Community

American Red Cross Click on the link to find your local branch and take a course on Infant and Child CPR and other first aid and safety instructions.