U.S. agency clears Jolie's adoption

HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) - Movie star Angelina Jolie remained largely out of public view in Vietnam on Saturday and a U.S. adoption agency said her adoption of a Vietnamese boy was not "fast-tracked" as reported by local officials.

Jolie, 31, was seen by photographers on Saturday inside a car arriving at her hotel in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest urban area with about 8 million people.

She arrived there on Wednesday night to adopt an almost three-and-a-half year old boy from an orphanage. Jolie has two other adopted children and a biological daughter with partner and Hollywood star Brad Pitt.

The U.S.-based Adoptions From The Heart agency, which handled the adoption for Jolie, said in a statement she began the process last summer in Vietnam.

"Throughout Ms Jolie's adoption process, she received no preferential treatment from the Vietnamese government or Adoptions From The Heart," said the statement by Heidi Gonzalez, the non-profit agency's Vietnam coordinator.

"Contrary to earlier reports, her application was not fast-tracked," said the statement issued on Friday by the agency based in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.

On March 9, Vietnam's senior adoption official Vu Duc Long said, "In this case, things can move faster because she's a celebrity and she has already found a child".

Some people complained Jolie received preferential treatment, but several parents said the boy's welfare was the most important issue.

The length of time for adoptions in Vietnam varies, but the average is about six months, sometimes longer.