On November 5, Cu Thi Ha, from Ninh Binh Province, arrived at the Dantri Newspaper office in Hanoi with five family members to receive DNA test results confirming their relationship with a niece who had been adopted by a French family 28 years earlier.
“Over the past few days, it has felt like a dream. We are incredibly happy to have found our niece. We are grateful to Dantri for giving our family the opportunity to reunite,” Ha said.
Cu Thi Ha and her niece Cu Thi Hien at the Dantri office on November 5 (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).
Cu Thi Hien, Ha's niece, was adopted by a family in France when she was just two months old. She arrived at the newspaper's office smiling, accompanied by her French adoptive father and a close friend. She described finding her biological relatives as a miracle.
After Dantri informed her that it had found clues about her family in Vietnam, Hien was overwhelmed with happiness. During her first video call from France to Vietnam, despite the language barrier and the fact that they had never met, she felt an indescribable sense of familiarity and closeness when she saw her aunts, uncles and other relatives.
Ha's family also immediately felt a strong connection with Hien, saying she looked remarkably like her late mother.
Unable to wait any longer, Hien arranged for herself and her French adoptive parents to take the earliest available flights to Vietnam in October to meet her biological family.
In recent days, because her adoptive mother was in poor health, the family rented a hotel in Hanoi. Hien travelled to Ninh Binh daily to visit her relatives, while also spending time exploring the capital and learning more about the country where she was born.
Ha's family organised a reception to welcome Hien and her adoptive parents.
“Everything has exceeded my expectations. Before coming to Vietnam, I did not dare to hope for too much because I was afraid of being disappointed. But the warm welcome from everyone has made me and my family incredibly happy. From the very first moments, I felt as though I had come home,” Hien said at the reunion held at the newspaper's office.
Her greatest regret is that she will never have the chance to meet her biological mother, who has died.
At this point, the young woman broke down in tears, saying: “If only I had found my family earlier, I might have had the chance to see my mother again. I am deeply grateful to her for giving birth to me and giving me this life. I believe she would also be very happy to know that her daughter has found her roots.”
At the event, Jean Paul, Hien's adoptive father, was also visibly moved as he received the DNA test results on behalf of the family.
He said his family had been surprised and delighted by the warm reception from Hien's relatives in Vietnam.
Jean Paul said that he and his wife had never hidden the fact that Hien was adopted, even when she was very young.
“We were very happy to welcome her into our family and raise her with the same love and care as a child born to both of us,” he said.
According to Jean Paul, Hien had enjoyed a happy childhood filled with varied experiences. She grew up with her adoptive parents in a charming small village in France, where she had many friends and became part of the local community.
Her adoptive parents also regularly took her on trips around the world, allowing her to discover life beyond their small village.
“We told her she was adopted when she was 10, and again when she was 18. After that, she decided to find out more about her background and search for her biological family herself. We supported her and were happy to see her grow into an independent young woman who has now reunited with her birth family,” Jean Paul said.
He described Hien as a daughter who was always smiling, enthusiastic and willing to help others. She had brought him immense joy and was, he said, a kind-hearted and generous person.
“As a father, I have always said that she is the most wonderful daughter I could ever wish for,” he said.
Jean Paul, her French adoptive father, recalled many memories from raising Hien (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).
Finding happiness in having two families
Cu Van Dong, Hien's uncle, who provided a DNA sample for the test, could not hold back his tears as he received the document confirming their biological relationship after 28 years apart.
Speaking at the Dantri Newspaper office, Dong said that he and his family had lived with regret for more than two decades over the decision to give Hien up for adoption.
They had constantly wondered how she was living, what she looked like as she grew up and whether she resented her family for the decision.
“We are so fortunate that Dantri helped connect the information and bring our family back together,” he said.
“Thank you, Dantri, for turning our dream into reality.”
On behalf of Hien's family in Vietnam, Dong also expressed his deepest gratitude to her adoptive parents in France for loving and caring for her over the years. Looking into Hien's eyes, he said, he could see that she had grown up in a happy family surrounded by warmth and affection.
“We deeply appreciate the love and care given to Hien by her French adoptive parents. She has grown into a beautiful young woman,” he said.
At the reunion, Colonel Ha Quoc Khanh, representing Eurofins Gentis Genetic Analysis Services Joint Stock Company, announced the results of DNA analysis involving Cu Van Dong, born in 1972, and Cu Thi Hien, born in 1998.
The results confirmed that they were biologically related through the maternal line, establishing Dong as Hien's maternal uncle.
Colonel Ha Quoc Khanh presents the DNA results to Cu Van Dong's family (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).
Representing Dantri Newspaper, Pham Phuc Hung, its managing editor, congratulated the families of Cu Duy Dong and Cu Thi Ha on reuniting with their niece after 28 years apart.
Hung said the newspaper had helped many people reconnect with their biological families in recent years. The latest reunion was another example of its efforts to bring people together and spread messages of compassion and humanity.
“Hien's mother is no longer with us, but I believe she is still watching over her daughter and would be very happy to know that the child she had longed for day and night has returned to her family,” the managing editor said.
Journalist Pham Phuc Hung, managing editor at Dantri, congratulates the family (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).
Hien was born in 1998 at Ha Nam Provincial General Hospital, in what was then Ha Nam Province.
Her mother, Cu Thi Ha, had been deaf and mute since childhood. At the age of 30, she was deceived by a man and became pregnant. After giving birth, weakened by poor health and facing difficult family circumstances, Ha decided to place her daughter for adoption in France, hoping she would have a better future.
More than two years ago, Ha died without ever having the chance to see her daughter again.
In June 2025, Hien contacted Dantri Newspaper, asking it to publicise her story and help trace her biological family. Within just a few hours, reporters had managed to contact her relatives in the former Ha Nam Province, now part of Ninh Binh Province.