Angelina Jolie Plans Adoption of Vietnamese Boy

Expedited Process

Madonna and Guy Ritchie, shown here with their children, Rocco and Lourdes, have custody of a 1-year-old boy they are adopting from Malawi.

According to reports, Angelina Jolie, 31, filed paperwork in early March 2007 to adopt a young boy from Vietnam. The actress and her partner, Brad Pitt , chose a prospective child from the Tam Bihn orphanage near Ho Chi Minh City in November 2006. The adoption process normally takes at least four months to complete. However that process may be expedited because Jolie, who applied as a single parent, already picked out the little boy she wants to bring home.

Three's Not a Crowd

Angelina Jolie and Pitt, 43, already adopted Maddox, 5, from Cambodia, and Zahara, 2, from Ethiopia, and are also parents to Shiloh who was born in May 2006. Jolie has been quoted as saying she always wanted a lot of children.

Is This Adoption Legal?

This highly publicized adoption is already being scrutinized by some news agencies. According to BANG Showbiz, Angelina Jolie's adoption of the young boy from Vietnam may violate that country's laws. Vietnamese law states that single parents who are "co-habitating" are not allowed to adopt. Pitt and Jolie live together, but plans for a celebrity wedding have not been announced.

Celebrity Adoptions Controversy

In January 2007, the Hollywood actress criticized superstar Madonna's adoption of a Malawian boy from a country where the rules on adopting are definitive. ABC News reported Jolie as saying, "In this country, there is not really a legal framework for adopting. Personally, I prefer staying on the right side of the law. I would never bring back a child from a country where adoption is illegal." According to People magazine, Madonna left Malawi with the 1-year-old boy, although laws there state that prospective adoptive parents are required to foster the child in the country for up to 24 months.