Vietnam Motherland Tour

In March and April, Mary Nelle Gage SL and Ruth Routten SL led a Vietnam Motherland Tour for former adoptees and their families to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Operation Babylift. Mary Nelle had cared for some of those who joined the trip when they were children in Vietnam in the early 1970s. Ruth had escorted children out of the country starting in 1973.

The tour itinerary was full and included visiting orphanages, boating, swimming and much more. A popular activity was a cooking class at Red Bridge Cooking School. The class was enjoyed by former adoptees John McArdle and Lani Lang and her husband David!

Another former adoptee, My-Angela, had a very rewarding personal experience. Her origin story took her from her birth in Quang Tri province to Sacred Heart Orphanage in Danang to Saigon and on to her adoptive family. In 2025, she joined the Motherland Tour and traveled back to Danang with other adoptees to find her name in the orphanage record book and visit the province where her birth father likely served. Mary Nelle Gage shares, “My-Angela was overjoyed at walking around her birth village, meeting people who share her Vietnamese family name at the Tran temple [below], and walking on the beach where her birth father may have walked.” She has recently completed a DNA test, hoping to connect with family members.

Stay tuned for more information coming out in Loretto Magazine and on our website!