All abandoned children are supposed to have their births registered by the local People's Committee. The death certificate format is not standardized. Generally, any pre-printed form is acceptable, and any death certificate should be on such a form. At a minimum, the death certificate should contain the name of the deceased, cause of death, date of death, and the deceased's date of birth or age at death. All deaths are to be registered within 24 hours with the local People's Committee, but late registration is legal.
Document fraud is endemic in Vietnam.
With the exception of birth certificates, the format of official documents varies widely from province to province. When a child is identified, the agency asks the client if the child is acceptable. If so, the agency asks the orphanage to release the child for foreign adoption. If one was not already on file, the orphanage obtains an unconditional release for foreign adoption from the child's parents or guardian. Every parent or guardian must relinquish custody of the child for him or her to be placed in an orphanage, but such releases do not always specify that the child can be released for foreign adoption.