It’s been a rather Orwellian experience trying to get an official Vietnamese birth certificate. We first hired a lawyer, and gave her all the requested papers the day after Zoe’s birth. The following day, she said I needed to write a letter authorizing my permission for the birth certificate. Which then had to me notarized by the US Consulate. Which then had to be officially translated by the Department of Foreign affairs. When the lawyer brought all the paperwork to the Department of Civil Affairs, she was told that the law had changed and we had to go directly to the People’s Committee of the Ward of Di Van’s house. The lawyer said we were now on our own and kept the deposit. The local People’s Committee said no problem if the price is right. After paying them off, they said that a birth certificate can only be issued if the parents are residents in Vietnam. Then they said that they weren’t sure what to do, and would have to check with the District-level People’s Committee. Who also didn’t want to deal with it. So the Ward People’s Committee suggested we talk directly to the Department of Civil Affairs. The People’s Committee said we were now on our own and kept the deposit. The Department of Foreign Affairs said our lawyers must have been confused and that the new law only pertains to residents of Vietnam. They would be happy to help us as long as we first produced another letter stating that Huỳnh Tú Trinh and Trinh Potkin are the same person. Which then has to be notarized by the US Consulate. Which then has to be officially translated by the Department of Foreign Affairs…
