A police investigation has concluded that lax management at Bo De Pagoda created opportunities for individuals there to exploit orphans and abandoned children in their care.

Lawyer Hoang Huy Duoc

According to police, Bo De Pagoda is the residence for 106 children aged from one month to 18 years. Although the pagoda does various charity work, it does not have a license to care for orphaned children.

The loose management of their care facility, and incomplete bookkeeping procedures for adoptions seem to have been taken advantage of by individuals for their own profit. 

Hoang Huy Duoc, vice chairman of Hanoi Bar Association, also said that Bo De Pagoda does not meet the requirements to function as an orphanage. Raising so many children in the pagoda is likely to bring about developmental problems in children, he said. Duoc added that the pagoda should only be allowed to provide support services for childcare.

It has been reported, however, that local authorities gave permission to Bo De Pagoda to care for and handle the adoption process for abandoned children. According to Duoc, this was not done in accordance with the law. "Vietnamese law doesn't have clear sanctions for such violations." he said.

The case was brought to police by an adoptive father who claimed his child went missing at the pagoda. It was later alleged that Nguyen Thanh Trang, a caretaker at the pagoda, sold the child for VND35 million.

Police also asked the Bo De Pagoda's head monk, Thich Dam Lan, to come in and answer questions, although there is no evidence of the monks involvement in illegal activities.

"She is still an important part of our investigation. Besides, the head monk has to take some responsibility because the children are being raised on the premises of the pagoda," said Colonel Vu Thai Hung.