Nguyen Thi Hoi comes to Dantri’s office in Hanoi to share her story
Following the publication of Dantri/Dtinews' article about Arthur Chareire, a 31-year-old man living in France who was abandoned at birth and is now searching for his biological mother, the newspaper received hundreds of phone calls and thousands of comments offering information in hopes of reuniting the mother and son.
On the morning of April 21, Hoi brought her personal documents and came directly to Dantri’s office in Hanoi to share her story. She also expressed a desire to undergo a DNA test to determine if she is Arthur’s biological mother.
Upon seeing Arthur’s photo in the article, she said emotionally, “There’s a strong chance he is my son.”
“I haven’t been able to sleep these past few days. I’ve cried a lot thinking about having to give my child up for adoption, even though I never truly wanted to,” Hoi said tearfully.
According to her account, in early 1994, she was pregnant and admitted to Bach Mai General Hospital after being diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction. She stayed at the hospital's maternity ward for three months.
On August 19, 1994, she delivered a baby boy via caesarean section. The newborn weighed just over 2 kilos.
At the time, she listed her residence as Duong Xa Commune, but official documents show she was living in Duong Quang Commune, Gia Lam District.
“I didn’t have a husband and worked as a farmer. Life was very hard back then. If my child had stayed with me, he would’ve suffered. I gave him up for adoption in the hope that he would live a better life and receive a proper education. But for years, I’ve lived with deep regret over that decision,” she recalled.
Roughly a week after giving birth, Hoi left her son at the hospital. Later, through word of mouth, she learned he had been adopted by a family in France. However, she had no information about the adoptive family and thus no way to make contact.
For many years, she quietly prayed for her son’s wellbeing and happiness. Hoi never married and has since devoted herself to charitable work in hopes of easing the guilt that has haunted her.
“I once thought about searching for my son, but I had so little information, it felt like looking for a needle in a haystack. I was also afraid that my presence might disrupt his life or bring him hardship.
Now, in my twilight years, reading that someone with matching details is looking for his mother has moved me deeply. Reuniting with my son would be the greatest joy of my life. Even if he doesn’t accept me, I’ll understand. I just want to know that he’s healthy and doing well,” she said.
Her niece, Le Thi Thu, shared that in recent days, Arthur’s story and her aunt’s potential connection to it has drawn the attention of the entire family. They’ve encouraged Hoi to prepare herself emotionally for all possible outcomes, including the chance that the DNA test results may not match.
“Aunt Hoi never married and has been living with her nieces and nephews for years. What happened weighed heavily on her. If it turns out Arthur is really her son, it would be an unexpected and joyful reunion,” Thu said.
Through Dantri, Hoi’s family has already reached out to Arthur. He responded by saying he would wait for the DNA results.
Arthur has stated that he has never blamed his mother.
Despite being abandoned at birth, Arthur has stated that he has never blamed his mother.
“I understand that the decision to give up a newborn must have come with great pain and thought,” he said, expressing surprise and hope as his long-shot search now sees real progress.
“I will soon send a hair sample to Vietnam for the DNA test. Hopefully, the results will be positive and help bring us back together,” Arthur said.
Dantri/Dtinews will continue to follow and report on this story.
