Hello all, sorry that this is so long!

We are leaving in a few days to adopt our beautiful baby girl in Vietnam….this has been a long time in the making, so we are over the moon with excitement!

We are also sponsoring an older child at the same orphanage (to pay for school, clothes, etc) and though I don’t have any background information yet, I do have a picture and she looks to be around 9 years old, maybe. When we go I want to leave a gift for her, so first of all, what kinds of things might she like? (that’s small enough to transport easily) I was thinking some sort of t-shirt (what type?), chocolates, and then I draw a blank after that…..any ideas?

Also, her name is listed as Yang Thuy Dang, and I know in Vietnamese the last name is first, but I thought Dang was a surname? So which is her first name and how do you pronounce it? I also would like to write her and our baby daughter’s main nanny a little letter describing a little about who we are and such……if I send it in English is it likely that nobody will be able to read it? If I need to send it in Vietnamese, does anyone know of a translation service I could use? If I try to put it through an online machine translator, will it make any sense?

I already have quite a few gifts together for the officials and such, but I would still like to get a few things for the hotel staff and various other people who will be helping us along the way. Any ideas of something that might be appreciated?

That’s all I can thing of right now….thanks in advance for any assistance!
Amy

Her name is Yang Thuy Dang? Yang is not a Vietnamese name, but it is a Chinese name. I never heard the name Thuy-Dang before. I heard of them but not together like that. The name is a little odd actually. I think you can call her Thuy-Dang or just Dang then.

Children like chocolate and candy the most. Chocolate in the United States has a better taste then chocolate in Vietnam. Clothes would be nice but you don't know her size so better not.

You can write it in English and have someone in Vietnam to translate it. In the present day Vietnam, English is taught in school. You can ask the person in charge of the orphanage to ask someone to translate your letter. If you don't want to do that, you can go to online Vietnamese forums (usually Vietnamese entertainment forum) and ask for help. I think they will be happy to help you with the translation. If you need a website, I can recommend a very helpful website for you. Also, people in here will help you.

As for the officials and hotel staff, you really don't need to give them anything. But if you want to, you can take them out to dinner. Taking them out to dinner is a great way to thank them.

Buy her a barbie doll and a dress, she'll be happy. ^.^

That name Yang is quite odd, as I read that Pax (The boy that Angelina Jolie adopted) his mom's last name was Yang too. I guess that makes him Chinese. Quite odd that a lot of babies to be adopted have a Chinese last name in Vietnam.

No, it isn't. I don't know where you got your source but Pax' biological mother name Phạm Thu Dung (Phạm is the Vietnamese last name).

Ok my mistake about the Yang thing, but I know she is Chinese cause her grandfather's name is Chien.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1..._pax_thien.html

i don't know about orphan kids, but i met some schoolchildren around 3rd-5th grade who were totally engrossed with stickers, stencils, crayons, stamps, and bubble kits. the schoolchildren of vietnam don't really have anything over there -- for most, rocks are their only toys -- so they appreciate these "small" gifts that we take for granted over here in the west. so you really have to resist the doubt that the child might not like what you're buying just because we're so used to those things here. anything goes for them, i think, because they're used to having nothing.

You're confused the Vietnamese first name Chiến with the Chinese last name Chen. Chiến is quite a popular vietnamese male name.

In addition to Vietnamese forums as suggested, you can contact me for the translation.

Thanks so much for the help!

I didn’t realize it was an odd name……hmmm, I wonder why.

daidai - Could you let me know the site you had in mind for translations ?

dalatian – If you have time and wouldn’t mind, I have several cards that I need to write a short message thanking them for their help..... something simple along the lines of:

“Thank you for all of your help in adopting our loving baby from Vietnam.”

(Not exact, but something that would get that message across?)

Thank you!!

Actually word that begins with a letter "Y" follows by a letter "a" is non-existence in the Vietnamese language 99.99% (the 0.01% is to cover my base =)

We would never write Ya... to represent any word or word pronounciation or word transliteration
because there is no way to pronounce it if we are to write like that.

I think it might be a typo. However, there is a Vietnamese last name Lang which although not very common but recognizable. Oh, there's a Tang also which is a Vietnamese with perhaps Chinese origin.





Vietnamese Translation Website (click here)

From this website translation, I thought it did a decent job

“Thank you for all of your help in adopting our loving baby from Vietnam.”
Cám ơn bạn (cho) tất cả trợ giúp (của) các bạn trong việc chấp nhận đứa trẻ thương yêu (của) chúng ta từ Việt nam

But of course if dalatian can help you with the translation, I am sure s/he does it much better

I prolly wouldn't say rocks are their only toys since I remember a lot of kids used to play w/ really cheap plastic toys, but I have no idea how it goes in an orphanage. Like piclook said, crayons, stickers...etc... That's what I used to give to orphanages back when I lived there .

What's your budget ? Can I give you some recommendations ?

Once on location, you can buy notebooks and pencils/crayons, for the orphanage itself. Don't make a donation (money), but ask them what the orphans need, and ask a local to take you to the right place to buy what they need.

For the child you're sponsoring, remember she LIVES there and you don't want to make other kids too jealous. So get her friends a little something as well. Get the girl a Barbie doll, although I know a lot of girls don't play with them anymore at 10. What she'll appreciate the most is the fact that it's a "real" one, if you know what I mean...Not some cheap copy. Buy her some bows and frilly/fancy hairbands for her hair (a few from Claire's maybe but you can also get them on location.) , plastic bracelets, and a Tee Shirt from the US.

As for chocolate, sure, it tastes better in the West but I don't think it's such a good idea.
Not only is it hard to travel w/ (melts), but you're not sure they're gonna "appreciate" it the way a Westerner would.
It's like me giving you the best Mangosteen or sweetest Longan on my tree.
Maybe you'll like it, but because you're not used to eating it as often and it's not originally in your culture, you won't be able to tell the difference and "savour" it for what its worth.

What officials will appreciate the most are brands. Real ones. Buy them L'Oreal/Revlon/Cover Girl lipsticks ($15 tops), nailpolish, perfume for bigger presents. (Red colour for cosmetics). etc... The fact that it comes from the West is already a BIG plus. That it has a brand they know of or read about in some magazine, an even bigger plus. For cheap presents, buy them a Tee w/ "I love NY", Key-chains or something in the like that definitely tells them you bought it in the US.

As for the girl's name, there's quite a few Viets w/ a Chinese name since a lot of us have Chinese immigrant parents or some Chinese ancestry along the line. I myself have a Viet AND Chinese name. Very much alike the girl.

Good luck w/ the translation, dalatian seems willing to help but like daidai said, if you're having trouble getting it translated online, you can always do so on location.

Have a great trip !!!

MmmH...yeah. Come to think of it now, get all your translations checked on location. It will sound more polite if you use the correct title (for elder/younger/strangers/friends/...) for each person.

Pretty good translation though. It's a start !

Lobsterwoman-

Thanks for the tips! I was thinking of buying a lot of formula and diapers for the orphanage when we get there, but I’m not sure how much time we’ll have especially with jet lag, because we don’t arrive until the day before. I know….cutting it really close, but with such short travel notice we were given (week and a half), flight options were limited.

Getting hair accessories for her friends is a great idea!

There are 20 nannies/caregivers, and I got each of them a Revlon lipstick, so hopefully they’ll like that.

There are 2 young men that work with our agency there, and I hear they do a great deal and go above and beyond, so I really want to get them something thoughtful. Guy presents are hard! Any ideas for them would be appreciated!

Amy

Okay, another language question!.....In the translation given above, it has parentheses ( ) around some words...what does that mean? Another example, I’m putting together a pocket size photo album for our daughters main nanny, so she can get an idea what life will be like for her. I want to label the pictures so when I did a search for “our house” this is what it says…..

cái nhà (của) chúng ta

Do I put all of that? What does the (của) mean?

Finally, how do you pronounce grandmother (maternal)?..... bà

Do feel free to send me the messages that you like to be translated via the 'Send Message' link on my profile.


It means that the word might be optional/recommended.




"của" indicates possessive case. It's similar to "of" in English. In Vietnamese, you sometimes do not need to specifically use possessive case depending on the phrase. For instance, in your example, "cái nhà của chúng ta" and "nhà chúng ta" both mean "our house" (though we normally say "ngôi nhà của chúng ta" instead of "cái nhà của chúng ta").



It's similar to "ba" but you have say it with a falling tone. This is because of the "`". If you do not say it with a clear falling tone, it will then mean "dad" . However, it depends on where you live. In southern Vietnam, people rarely use "bà" to call their grandmothers, the word, instead, is used to show respect to a woman during the conversation. For grandmother/grandfather, they simply say "ngoại"(mom's side) or "nội" (dad's side).

if you want the translation to be more correct, go to a vietnamese-american forum like tuoitho.net

If we are unable to help you here, you should try to go to www.chichoe.com ....The people there are extremely helpful from my experience.

Here is your 0.01% Mang Yang Pass, Ayunpa City of Gia Lai Province. These names can be found in Central Highland of Vietnam.

Lobster is right, addressing people and yourselves is very important, it can tell how you appreciate their help but since you are not Vietnamese, it won't matter as much.

^yeah, they might not care as much, but you can always ask whomever you meet on location how you should address them. anh/gai/chi... If you don't it's alright, but if you do make the effort I'm sure it will be greatly appreciated.


Oh. I see. How long will you be there for ? The Revlon lipsticks is a great idea ! Yes, Guy presents are hard. I reckon you can get these 2 men a perfume. Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein... Make sure to tell the lady at the shop that the fragrance is intended to be worn in a hot country. Also make sure that the brand is "well known" worldwide, and not some spefically hip in the US designer.
The hair accessories (especially the big frilly ones in VN) are always well seen by little girls. Get the child you sponsor some as well so they can wear it together.
Are the other child she's with at the orphanage sponsored as well ? The thing is, I have a hard time imagining at least not making one little girl sad or envious if you're gonna pay the child a visit and give her presents. Makes me a little sad to think of it.
I can't think of anything else to say. But if you need anymore advice, well, there's always this thread and the rest of the Vietnamese chat. Some members seem pretty willing to help. Rather heart warming I must say !
So once again, have a great time there ! And congratulations on adopting your child !

unsollicited advice: but just for the future, make sure she keeps in touch w/ her Asian roots and knows about her culture.

But these names are not Vietnamese though. They are names coined by foreigners that Vietnamese used or rather transliteration of the local name that is not Vietnamese. My 99.99% still holds

@texasgirl: don't stress yourself out over these things. Have a good trip and enjoy the moment while you are there. Gifts are from the heart and good intentions are never ill no matter how inappropriate they may be. Forgiveness is part of our culture. Again, good luck and enjoy a good trip.

First, congrastulation to your achievement. Well it means a lot for what you have done to the little kid. The kid will be graceful for your kind heart so as well as I am since I am just some body who ahppens to read your inquiry.
Second, do not get confused about what people say in blog about the kid's name. Well for me it does not matter. But different people adding up different ideas to the kid's name quest might later on confuse you a bit. As for me Yang is the kid's first name, last name is Dang and so the other must be the middle name. My mom's last name is Dang too. Good luck and be happy. My deepest sincere.