“Anyone who might have a history of missing someone from their family who may have left the country.”
“And to provide DNA kits for mothers that were separated from their children prior to 1975, during that American War period.”
Adoptees cycling through villages in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, striving to raise awareness about their ongoing search for their biological families. Source: Supplied
Barton Williams, who was , just weeks before the fall of Saigon, said it was the first time he didn’t feel like a tourist in his birth country.
“It brought a tear to everyone’s eye. And made us think, we have got a connection, whether we get a DNA match or not.”
DNA testing key
“I did the DNA test and to my surprise I was 45 per cent Danish. The even bigger surprise was having close matches.”
The group delivered care packages and spoke to communities in southern Vietnam. Source: Supplied
Catford discovered his father had left Denmark and emigrated to the United States, joined the US Air Force and served in Vietnam.
“But for adoptees, there’s no choice. DNA has to be a baseline decoder of our biological relationships.”
Kim Catford (centre) met his extended family and a half-sister in Denmark last year. Source: Supplied
But Luiten said dozens of local women came forward, requesting DNA kits, and Catford said he felt locals were keen to help adoptees searching for their families.
“There’s a profound sense of care for us, and I believe they truly understand the narrative because, during that era, there were so many orphans, many fathered by soldiers, and we dispersed to different parts of the globe.”
Organiser and adoptee Sue-Yen Luiten spoke to community members about their search for family and DNA testing during their journey. Source: Supplied
Healing journeys and new bonds
“Being around other adoptees … we all just got each other and didn’t have to explain anything, because people knew what you’re going through and the emotions that you’re going through.”
(Left to right) Barton Williams, Sue-Yen Luiten and Kim Catford during their four-day bike ride from Ho Chi Minh City to Sóc Trăng. Source: Supplied
A professional support person travelled with the group to also help manage what Luiten said can be “very intense feelings” for adoptees.
