VIC Representative
Sue-Yen is a Vietnamese Adoptee who was residing in Melbourne (VIC), Australia. She began sharing her experience as an adoptee at the age of 17 in Western Australia and continues to work to effect positive change in the intercountry adoption arena.
Beginning in 1998, Sue has consistently presented the adoptee perspective at a state, federal and international level as a member of the National Intercountry Adoption Advisory Group (NICAAG), Western Australian Adoption Sector Forum, Adoption Support for Families and Children (ASFC), Vietnamese Adoptee Network (VAN), co-founder of Intercountry Adoptee Community (IAC), was an Advisory Committee member for International Social Services (ISS) Australia, and co-founded Vietnam Family Search (a search service for Vietnam adoptees and biological families). She also worked with Dr Fronek – Griffiths University regarding the first National Study on Post Adoption Support.
In her professional life she is an Interior Architect, running a successful partnership for 17 years. In her personal life she is married with 2 children. Sue has searched for biological family with no success, however, returns regularly to Vietnam to continue to work in the social protection of children in the Vung Tau area.
Australia now possesses a rich resource within the mature and reflective voices of adult intercountry adoptees. Within the forum of intercountry adoptions Sue-Yen has been enriched by working collaboratively and successfully with government and non-government agencies, adoptees and parents from all over the world. She has listened and grown in her appreciation of each group’s struggles and achievements. The task requires a great deal of patience and respect. These are core values that are needed to successfully embrace the complex, and sometimes divisive voices within the intercountry adoption forum. Each voice requires validation to create a true understanding of the whole.