Adopted Woman Learns Birth Mother Used False Name in Vietnam Records

Zoë Reback, a 25-year-old woman living in North Carolina, was adopted from Vietnam as a baby. She said she grew up in an affluent white suburban town in New Jersey with four older biological siblings and two parents who later divorced. Reback stated that she felt different from her family and classmates because she did not look like them.

She said other children told her that her birth mother did not want her.

During the pandemic, Reback found a file labeled "Zoe" in her mother's filing cabinet that contained her adoption papers. She said she put the file away without reading it to avoid upsetting her mother. In April of this year, Reback examined the full file and found a police report signed by the chief of police for the Binh Chieu ward.

The report stated that her birth mother used a false name when she gave Reback to authorities. Reback said her mother later told her that it was common for women in Vietnam to provide fake names in adoption cases. She said the discovery left her feeling defeated and sad.

Reback stated that she has ordered a DNA kit and is waiting for the results. She said she wants to know what her birth mother looks like and where she came from, even if they never meet.