The search for the birth mother of a Swedish woman of Vietnamese descent after 25 years.

Having lived in Sweden for over 20 years, Ida Sofia Huong Giang Andersson always thought about her biological mother, in one way or another. Meanwhile, her Korean-born brother, also adopted, had no intention of finding his biological parents.As she grew older, she became more curious.about her origins. She wanted to know what documents her Swedish adoptive parents had kept for her.

But she was afraidUnsure how her adoptive mother would react, and fearing she might be sad or disappointed, especially since her adoptive father had passed away when she was 15, leaving only the three of them at home, the girl cautiously told her mother, who was over 60, about her desire to find her biological mother.

Inga-Britt Andersson looked straight into her daughter's eyes and said, "Sofia, I've been waiting for this my whole life." She hurried to get the birth certificate and adoption papers and handed them to her.

According to gAccording to her birth certificate, her name is Nguyen Huong Giang, born on October 22, 1992, at Maternity Hospital B, Lo Duc, Hanoi. A few days later, her 20-year-old, single mother gave her up for adoption andShe was adopted through the Swedish Adoption Centre.

Later, when Sofia's adoptive parents asked the hospital for more details about her biological parents, all that remained was her mother's name:Nguyen Thanh Huong, born in 1972. In the list.Question about the characteristics of the biological mother: "CTall or short? Introverted or extroverted? Vietnamese or mixed race?The only answer he received was a single word: "high".

On New Year's Eve 1992, one-month-old Giang was brought to Sweden by her adoptive parents, beginning a new life with a new identity, but retaining her original Vietnamese name. The Andersson neighbors also eagerly helped decorate the house when the little girl arrived at her new home.With blonde, blue-eyed foster parents and grandparents welcoming her with open arms, Sofia grew up in a peaceful childhood in the suburbs of the university city of Lund in the south.

Sofia was one of 20 Vietnamese children adopted by Swedish parents that December, according to the Swedish Adoption Centre.When Sofia's parents arrived in Hanoi to pick her up, they stayed in the same hotel as other foster parents. To alleviate feelings of alienation and difference that Vietnamese children experience as they grow up, and to maintain a sense of cultural roots, these foster parents founded the organization Roots in Vietnam.

No matter where they are in Sweden, the children stay in touch to share and check in on each other. SofiaTreat the other Vietnamese-American children in the organization as your own siblings, and treat their parents as your own.

This was Sofia's third visit to Vietnam; the previous two lasted several weeks, when she was 10 and 14, on trips organized by the Vietnam Roots organization. Sofia's parents were always open with her about adoption and wanted her to be proud of her heritage. They took her to visit Maternity Hospital B, where she met the nurses, doctors, and even her godmother. But she was too young then, and her parents didn't want to pressure her into finding her mother unless she expressed a desire to do so.

"On my first trip, I just absorbed everything and felt happy being a child exploring an interesting country," she recounted about her journeys to the southern islands or her trip to Sapa in the north.Sofia said she was fortunate to have loving and supportive adoptive parents who took her on trips all over the world. They also taught her to work hard to achieve success in school and work, and instilled in her politeness, respect, selflessness, and strength.

Sofia has always felt 100% Swedish. She loves Swedish characteristics, such as the "fika" coffee culture, Ikea furniture, and meatballs. But she wasn't always considered Swedish, despite having a Swedish name and considering Swedish her mother tongue. She has faced racism from strangers.

Once, Sofia and her friend were walking past a group of older boys, one of whom looked at her and gave a Nazi-style salute. Another time, she was subjected to insults, called a "disgusting Chinese." "Initially, I felt a strange mix of fear, sadness, and shame. It was like confirmation that I was different from them. Now I'm more angry."", Sofia said.

Sofia has been working in recruitment and human resources in the IT industry in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, for three years. A year ago, she was exhausted from work and wondered, "What do I want for myself?" After much deliberation, she wrote down her goal for the next year: to find the answer about her biological mother. She worked hard, saved money, and returned to Vietnam for five months, a journey she considers "the greatest of her life."

Returning to Hanoi with her Swedish boyfriend and adoptive mother, Sofia tried everything to find her mother. She contacted the adoption agency, but the organization had lost contact with her. She submitted paperwork to the Adoption Department of the Ministry of Justice but has not yet received a response.She went to the maternity ward twice to ask for more information, but they no longer had any medical records from that time.

She also found a woman who worked for a Swedish adoption agency in Vietnam, but the woman couldn't remember anything because there were so many children at the time.Sofia felt more at ease with the help of the Swedish embassy, ​​which provided a signed and stamped letter of introduction to assist her in working with government agencies."It's difficult when you can't speak Vietnamese, understand how the government works, or know who to turn to for help. But I've met wonderful people who genuinely helped me," she said.

The prolonged waiting time, the fruitless meetings and correspondence, left her feeling hopeless.Sofia even created a Facebook page this week to find her mother.He is also considering asking for help from the "As If There Had Never Been a Separation" program.

In Sweden, there's a similar television program that helps adopted children return to their birthplaces, reunite with their biological parents or siblings, but Sofia didn't want a large television crew to potentially intrude on her mother's private life.

Reading the VnExpress newspaper, she learned about the story of the Swedish girl of Vietnamese origin.Denise Sandquist successfully found her mother two years ago thanks to social media and the press. She hopes that through the newspaper, she can find her own mother, just like Denise did.

"For a mother, abandoning her child is not an easy choice. She abandoned me hoping I would have the best life possible.""I want to see my mother, to tell her that I don't resent her for anything or that she did anything wrong," Sofia said.She wanted to see her mother to see how much she resembled her, and to tell her about her wonderful life.Swedenwith those who love and care for her.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or guilty, and I understand you can say no to the meeting.""I don't expect anything, I just hope," she said.