VietNamNet Bridge – Though not yet legally recognized, surrogacy has become a special service in Vietnam. This story reveals more details about surrogate mothers and their clients.

Pitiful lives

Playing the role of a middle-aged woman who was incapable of bearing a child, this writer approached a surrogacy broker, who then brought the writer to meet with several surrogate mothers in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thuy, 32, a native of the central province of Quang Binh, went to HCM City to work at a factory for over a year. Thuy’s husband had died in a traffic accident and she had a daughter. She left the child home for her in-laws to care for, sending some money home every month.

Thuy said her family was not aware that she was now pregnant with another woman’s child. Rubbing her hands over an abdomen in which a baby was growing, Thuy said: "I just want the time to pass fast, so I can give birth and turn the child over to her parents, then take the money and return home to care for my own child”.

Thuy said her younger sister, also in dire straits, was also willing to be a surrogate mother.

In addition to the monthly pay she receives for food, once she gives birth, Thuy will receive VND400 million ($20,000).

The circumstances of Yen, from Ben Tre, were more tragic than those of Thuy. Yen was also married and had a 3-year-old son. Her husband was an alcoholic and a gambler, and Yen divorced him. About one year ago, Yen left her baby with her parents to go to HCM City to work for a footwear company.

Her monthly salary was not enough to feed herself and to send anything home for her son. So Yen agreed to be a surrogate mother, in exchange for VND400 million.

Recently, she was informed of her mother’s death but could not return home for the funeral. The parents of the child in her womb asked her to not cry, for the fear that her bad mood might affect their child.

"If I knew this situation beforehand, I would have not accepted this arrangement. After giving birth, I will immediately return home to burn incense and to ask forgiveness of my mum, and I will not leave my child again,” Yen said.

$50,000 for a twin

Hiring surrogate mothers is legal in many countries, but not in Vietnam. Therefore, some people go to Thailand to carry out this service because there, in addition to good medical services, surrogacy is protected by law.

It is said that a famous pop star, N, two years ago hired a surrogate mother in Thailand. She paid VND1 billion ($50,000) to have twins, a boy and a girl. The twins were then brought to the US, where they were cared for by the single woman’s in-laws. The arrangement granted the singer the safety of health because she was over 40 years old, and at the same time allowed her to keep her shape, benefiting her singing career.

Also hiring a Thai surrogate mother, a couple in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, wanted to have a son only because they already had two daughters.

The woman, B, recalled: After taking her husband's sperm and her eggs, the hospital in Thailand helped her to hire a lawyer and to find a surrogate mother. The lawyer compiled a contract with details on financial constraints, tests, gender, DNA, etc. – everything to ensure a perfect baby for his client. One month after the baby was born, he was handed over to B and her husband. B and her family were very happy because the baby looked similar to her and her husband. The boy is now more than one year old and very active.

Some couples who go to Thailand for surrogacy services are not as lucky as N and B. Mrs. L in District 7, HCM City, was required to pay one third of the value of the contract to the surrogate mother, but with nothing to show for it. The surrogate miscarried just before the second trimester.

It’s been almost a year since it happened, but when recalling it, L still feels sadness. She has abandoned the idea of hiring a surrogate mother.

Legal problems

According to the Ministry of Justice, current law prohibits surrogacy of all forms. In fact, though, surrogacy arrangements are indeed practiced in Vietnam. And the state still has the obligation to protect the legal rights and interests of children born via surrogacy. Therefore, the law should be revised to lessen the negative impacts of surrogacy and allow childless couples to exercise their right to be parents.

NLD