Several new hydrated rare earth vanadates and rare earth oxy-vanadates have been synthesized using hydrothermal techniques and characterized using single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction and infrared and UV-vis absorption spectroscopies. The hydrated rare earth vanadates adopt the space group P2(1)/m with general formula A(3)VO(5)(OH)(3) (A = Y (1), Dy (2), or La (3)) and contain anionic distorted square pyramidal [VO5](-6) units and AO(7) and AO(8) polyhedra. The oxy-vanadates with the general formula A(2)O(VO4) (A = Y (4), Dy (5; 6), or Yb (7)) form two polymorphs in either P2(1)/c or C2/c space groups and contain anionic tetrahedral [VO4](-4) units and nonvanadium bonded O2- anions in distorted [OA(4)] tetrahedra. In all cases, the vanadium ion is in the tetravalent oxidation state, and its original source was the trace V4+ impurities in YVO4. The observed vanadyl and equatorial vanadium-oxygen bond lengths about the square pyramid in compounds 1-3 and the tetrahedral vanadium coordination found in compounds 4-7 are unusual for V4+. The electronic and vibrational spectra are also reported and correlated with the appropriate coordination environment.