The Justice Ministry has approved a project to help children adopted by foreigners visit their original homeland.

The ministry said in a statement that agencies in charge of adoption procedures have never organized trips and activities for adopted children to visit Vietnam before.

Some adopted children visit their biological parents by themselves without assistance and careful psychological preparations. In some cases this has left a negative impact on those involved, the ministry said.

Funding for the project will come from the state exchequer, including adoption fees, and from donors.

As part of the project, a computer database will also be built to gather information about adopted Vietnamese persons and their origins.

Official statistics published by Vietnam News showed that 498 Vietnamese children were adopted by foreigners last year and 334 in 2013.