Siblings given away during hardship reunite after 47 years

But when they did not, the six-year-old began asking his parents where his siblings were. There was no reply, only the sight of his mother crying.

It was a rainy day in 1977, and his family was temporarily seeking refuge at Tan Thoi Temple in Lai Thieu Ward, Binh Duong Province.

Nearly half a century later Tuan, living in Vinh Loc B Commune, Binh Chanh District, HCMC, could not forget his siblings, Pham Van Son and Pham Thi Thuy, as his mother always reminded him: "You must find them and bring them home." He says: "All those years without my siblings, my mother never stopped crying. Even on her deathbed, she spoke about them."

Pham Thi Thuy (standing, far right) and Pham Van Son (standing, second from the right) during the family reunion in late August, 2024. Photo courtesy of the family

His parents were once part of a traveling cai luong troupe, a traditional Vietnamese opera form that began in the early 20th century in the Mekong Delta. In 1977, when the troupe suddenly disbanded in Lai Thieu, the family found themselves homeless. They sought refuge in the temple, surviving by foraging for wild vegetables and scavenging rice.

During this time of hardship, Tuan’s mother gave birth to a fourth child, Pham Van Son. Struggling with poverty, his father made the difficult decision to give away two of his children, hoping they would have better lives. A few months later, the family left Lai Thieu and wandered in search of work, eventually settling in Binh Chanh District, HCMC.

Tuan’s parents had two more sons, one named Son in memory of the baby they gave away and the other named Hai. Tuan grew older, got married, and started his own family, but the memory of his siblings continued to haunt him.

Ten years ago seeing how emotional he became whenever he mentioned his lost siblings, his wife, Nguyen Thi Le, encouraged him to search for them. They posted on TV and Facebook but had no success. He says: "At that time I had little hope. My siblings were too young when they were given away. How could they remember their parents and find their way back?"

In August this year Le came across a YouTube channel called "Tuan Vy - Connecting Love," which helps reunite lost families. She thought it might help her husband. She told him: "Everyone on that show had stories like ours. They didn’t give up, so why should we?" They shared their family’s story on the channel.

That same day 77-year-old Dang Thi Kim Huong in Lai Thieu heard about someone from the cai luong troupe who had lived at Tan Thoi Temple looking for lost family members.

She told her son, Son, the truth about his origins and that he had been adopted as a child from Tuan’s parents. She told him: "One day I’ll pass away, and you’ll be alone. You should meet your siblings so you won’t feel lonely."

She told him that in 1977 she and her husband, who had recently moved to Lai Thieu, heard about a family giving away their child. Unable to have children themselves, they had decided to adopt one. They took the baby boy, who was just over 10 days old, after giving the family some rice and money.

They told neighbors the child was their own and named him Nguyen Van Cong. As Son grew older, he exhibited a natural talent for music and singing. He would often ask why he loved the arts when his family had no ties to it, but his parents remained silent.

Huong contacted Tuan. "My legs went weak, my heart raced, and tears poured down uncontrollably," Tuan says.

Pham Van Son (born Nguyen Van Cong), who had been separated from his biological family since childhood, finally reunited with them in August 2024. Photo courtesy of the family

Two days later Tuan and Son met online via the "Tuan Vy" channel. They agreed to meet in person to pay respects to their late parents and undergo DNA testing to confirm their relationship. After reuniting with his brother, Tuan asked Huong about his younger sister, Thuy, who had been given away on the same day. But she had no information.

"If I had known the family was giving away both children, I would have adopted both," she says.

A video of the reunion between Tuan and Son was shared online, catching the attention of a Vietnamese woman living in South Korea. She recognised that the story of Tuan’s missing sister resembled that of her aunt, Thuy (Phan Thi Thanh Tien), who lived in An Giang Province. She helped her connect with the YouTube channel.

Thuy recounts that 47 years ago a woman from a cai luong troupe had taken her to An Giang, where she was adopted by a childless couple. The three-year-old girl was exchanged for 10 kilograms of rice, some clothes and a small amount of money. On her wedding day her adoptive parents revealed her true identity. After they passed away, she tried to search for her biological parents but was unsuccessful.

The search seemed hopeless, but after watching the video of Tuan’s story, Thuy immediately traveled to HCMC for a DNA test. She arrived on the same day Son reunited with the family. As they prayed at the family altar, Thuy was overwhelmed with both happiness and fear: happy at the prospects of finding her biological family and fearful it might not turn out to be true.

Right to left: Pham Van Tuan, Pham Van Son, and Pham Thi Thuy during their first meeting after being separated for 47 years. Photo courtesy of Tuan Vy

The DNA results were announced after the National Day holiday on Sept. 2. Thuy cried uncontrollably when she learned she was indeed Tuan’s sister. Son received similar confirmation the same day.

In that emotional moment of reunion, all six siblings, now living in different places, embraced and cried. After nearly half a century apart, they were finally together as a family.

"We are forever grateful to our parents, who blessed us so that, after all these years, we were able to find each other," Tuan says.