From abandonment to belonging: How Vietnamese mother gave American orphan true family

One night in mid-October the 26-year-old was working on the computer in his apartment in Idaho, the U.S., dedicating two full weeks to completing his master’s thesis in cybersecurity.

"After completing this degree, I can returnto Vietnam and settle down there," he said.

This has been a dream he has cherished since his childhood, growing up in Utah.

His biological parents encountered marital difficulties when he was a month old, sent him to live with his uncle, and lost all contact with him. He grew up with his aunt Huong, a Vietnamese woman from Ho Chi Minh City who had married his uncle. Her family treated him like one of their own.

Christian Taylor (far L) on a volunteer trip in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Taylor

From a young age, he learned to speak Vietnamese along with his younger cousin, and Huong’s homemade lunches, featuring delicious Vietnamese dishes like winter melon soup and braised pork with eggs, made his school friends envious.

As he grew older, he often wondered why his cousin looked Asian while he did not. At the age of eight, when he could no longer hide his curiosity, his foster parents revealed the truth. He was shocked and cried, asking why he had been abandoned.

Every night Huong would reassure him that it was not his fault.

"My mother told me that when she first held me, it felt as though she was holding her own son," he recalled. "Even though we weren’t biologically related, my parents loved me unconditionally. I grew up with the love of a Vietnamese mother."

Every few years Huong would take him back to Vietnam to visit her family.

For young Taylor, Ho Chi Minh City seemed like a vibrant place, just as she had described—streets filled with motorbikes, tree-lined sidewalks and hawkers selling hot tofu and bun bo (Hue-style beef noodles).

Her family always welcomed him as one of their own.

"Every time I left Vietnam to return to America, I felt like I left a part of my soul there," he said. "I believe that’s where my true home is."

After graduating from high school at 18, Taylor chose not to go straight to college. Instead, he decided to spend two years volunteering in Vietnam, following the tradition of his family. His father, in other people’s stories, had worked on projects for underprivileged children in the Philippines, and his grandfather had volunteered in New York.

"I’m forever grateful to my mother and want to do something for my motherland," he said.

In 2017 Taylor moved to Ho Chi Minh City by himself, renting an apartment in District 1. He taught English for free three times a week and spent his free time delivering rice, milk and snacks to the SOS Children’s Village in Thu Duc.

"But in Vietnam, I received much more than I gave," he said.

He was deeply moved by the kindness of strangers and learned the warmth of genuine care from new friends. One time he saw an accident when a person fell off their motorbike. Within seconds people rushed to help: one person called an ambulance, another moved the bike to the curb and others offered comfort.

"When a student in my English class gets sick, everyone would visit them," he said. "This kind of care is absent in America."

His friend Anh Truc, now 28, who volunteered alongside him, recalled how Taylor led a simpler, different life from others.

"He used an old-fashioned phone, rode a motorbike to teach at a church, and even traveled far to Thuan An (in neighboring Binh Duong) to help with a class."

After his volunteer program ended, Taylor asked to stay another six months because he didn’t want to leave.

Christian Taylor (R) with his wife Quach Thi Mai and their children. Photo courtesy of Taylor

Taylor’s bond with Vietnam grew deeper when he met Quach Thi Mai, then a third-year university student, in an English class. Their relationship blossomed at the time Taylor needed to return to the U.S. for college. Despite the long-distance relationship, he never gave up on his plan to return to Vietnam.

In 2022 he returned to Ho Chi Minh City, this time with a wedding ring in hand. At Tan Son Nhat airport, Mai burst into tears when he proposed.

"When Mai said yes, I knew I would spend my life in Vietnam," he said.

After their marriage the family settled in Binh Duong, while Taylor worked at an English center in Ho Chi Minh City. Every day he commuted over 100 kilometers to work. In their free time they visited the SOS Children’s Village to take gifts to the children.

Currently he is in the U.S. finishing his final courses for his master’s degree, and expects to graduate in 2027.

"I count down the days until I can return," he said. "Vietnam gave me a mother, a wife and a family. I am forever grateful to this country."