U.S. Citizens-to-Be Help Open Embassy
As the American flag went up over the new U.S. Embassy here Sunday, 10 Vietnamese infants soon to become American citizens cried, gurgled or slept in their new parents’ arms.
The parents came to Hanoi from places as far-flung as Washington, D.C., and California, bringing to fruition months of arrangements. Several expected to take their babies home shortly, while others said they still face paperwork.
“He’s beautiful,” said Christine Cain of Racine, Wis., as she beamed at the 5-month-old baby boy strapped to the chest of her husband, Doug. She said they are naming him Brian.
The new parents, toting infants and baby gear, were among the first guests to arrive for Secretary of State Warren Christopher’s dedication of the embassy. Their presence illustrated how far unofficial ties developed in advance of the resumption of official relations.
Thousands of South Vietnamese orphans were adopted by U.S. families in the 1960s and 1970s. U.S.-sponsored orphanages organized “baby-lifts” of children just before the Saigon government fell to the Communists in 1975.
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