Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, ABC Australia’s “Australian Story” presents a poignant tale of adoption, identity, and the enduring quest for belonging. This Monday, the program features Sue-Yen Luiten, adopted as a baby by an Australian couple, as she returns to Vietnam to uncover the truth about her past. It’s a journey she’s been on her entire life, a search for answers that led her to create Vietnam Family Search, an organisation helping other adoptees find their biological families.
This isn’t just Luiten’s story, though. The episode follows her and her group as they travel to the Mekong Delta, armed with DNA kits and a shared hope for connection. They provide these kits to Vietnamese mothers, creating a ripple of anticipation within a community still grappling with the war’s lingering effects.
The episode includes insights from Barton Williams, a friend of Luiten’s and a fellow adoptee, who speaks to the unique bond forged between those who share this experience, a sense of kinship built on shared questions and a lifelong search for identity. For Luiten, the trip proved life-changing, solidifying a sense of community among those searching for their roots.
“Australian Story” airs Monday, 26. May at 8:00 PM on ABC Australia.
