It was 11.30 pm. Ambre Martinod, 28, in France, was startled by the sound from the phone on the table. She picked up the phone in extreme nervousness. 

Since posting a piece of news about seeking her biological mother, Ambre is nervous every time her phone rings. Twenty-eight years have elapsed and Ambre still has not received any hopeful information. However, she never thinks of giving up, believing that a miracle will happen one day.

“I am Vietnamese. I was born October 4, 1995 in Long Xuyen Hospital in An Giang province. After giving birth to me, my mother left the hospital. My babysitter told me that at that time, my mother might be 15-16 years old,” she said.

The abandoned baby was transferred to a center for elderly and orphans in Long Xuyen town, where she was given a birth certificate with the name Duong Thi Ngoc Suong.

A short time later, Suong was adopted by a French woman and brought to France. She grew up there together with loving adoptive parents.

During her childhood, Suong recognized that she was different from her parents and the people around her. She always felt curious about herself and heard a story from her parents about her origins.

She realized that she was Vietnamese and was born in Vietnam. Since then, she has felt a void in her heart.

“As I am Vietnamese, I always think about my hometown and family and about those who brought me into the world. Though I have a happy French family, I still want to know who my biological parents are and what my mother looks like,” she said.

Encouraged by her adoptive parents, Suong began seeking her biological parents very early. She once returned to Vietnam when she was 13 years old, but she failed to find them.

Pain and forgiveness

However, Suong has never thought of giving up. She tries every possible way to seek her biological mother. She contacts groups seeking lost people on social media and organizations that help to seek relatives.

However, she doesn’t have much information about her mother, including the name, year of birth, address or photos.

“I hope I can return to Vietnam once more. I have even thought of living in both Vietnam and France to find my mother,” Suong said.

The 28-year-old said she still feels the pain of being abandoned, but forgives her mother, because she believes the mother had reasons to decide to leave the newborn baby.

Ha Nguyen