La Thi Hong hopes to reunite with her daughter, whom she gave up for adoption more than three decades ago
La Thi Hong, 51, was born into a poor farming family in Thanh Oai District, on the outskirts of Hanoi. Her father died young, and she was raised alongside four siblings by her mother, who earned a modest income from agriculture.
In 1993, at the age of 19, Hong became pregnant by her boyfriend, who soon left her. At that time, unmarried mothers faced harsh judgment and social stigma.
Despite pressure and gossip from those around her, Hong was determined to keep the baby.
As her due date neared, she asked an acquaintance working at the Soc Son Orphanage Centre for permission to stay temporarily with her newborn after giving birth.
On January 5, 1994, Hong gave birth to a baby girl weighing 2.8 kilogrammes at Dong Anh District General Hospital.
After spending three days in hospital, she and her baby moved into the orphanage. For the next 20 days, she was only allowed to be with her daughter during the day. At night, the baby was cared for by the staff of the orphanage.
“They wouldn’t let me breastfeed or sleep next to my baby,” Hong recalled tearfully.
Understanding her difficult circumstances, the orphanage director, Sen, encouraged her to leave the child in their care temporarily, with the option of returning to reclaim her daughter if she changed her mind.
After much consideration, Hong decided to leave the baby at the orphanage and consented to have her adopted. She returned to Thanh Oai to register her daughter’s birth under the name La Thi Hong Hanh and brought the document back to the centre.
However, just two months later, overwhelmed by longing, she returned to reclaim her daughter, only to learn that the baby had already been adopted by a French couple and taken to France.
“I collapsed in grief and cried for months,” she said. “If only I had been stronger back then, I might have found a way to raise her myself.”
In 1997, Hong married and later gave birth to another daughter. Life remained financially difficult due to her husband’s poor health and her low-paying work, but her thoughts were always on her first child.
“Every night, I lie awake thinking of her, haunted by my decision. I just wish I could see Hong Hanh, even once,” she said through tears. “Even if she doesn’t want to accept me as her mother, I just want to know that she is well; what she does for a living would be enough for me. But if she forgives me, I hope we can reconnect, even late in life.”
Hong and her husband
Hong now hopes that by sharing her story through Dantri/Dtinews Newspaper, her daughter, La Thi Hong Hanh, might come forward after 31 years of silence.
Anyone with information about La Thi Hong Hanh is urged to contact Dantri via the following hotlines:
Hanoi hotline: 0973-567-567
Ho Chi Minh City Hotline: 0974-567-567
Email: info@dantri.com.vn
