Old love stories between Vietnamese women and Japanese soldiers
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A match made on a dating app

That is how Le Ngoc Thanh (34) and her husband, Vukic Daniel Mark (48), met. The couple now lives in Australia.

Le Ngoc Thanh and Vukic Daniel Mark.

Daniel recalls that he and Thanh first connected on a dating app during the COVID-19 pandemic. After about two weeks of chatting online, they decided to meet in person.

“We met around December, and by the following Valentine’s Day, we officially started dating. I asked her many times, “Will you be my girlfriend?” but at first, she kept turning me down, saying, “It is not the right time, I am not sure yet, and you are a foreigner.” But in the end, she said yes,” he shared.

Thanh shared that before agreeing to the relationship, she had a lot of concerns - their age difference, the distance, the cultural differences. At first, she had only planned to study in Australia before returning to Vietnam.

“I thought about it a lot and worried that if I stayed, I would have to start over from scratch. I kept questioning whether I should choose love in this case. That is why I hesitated at first, but he was so genuine. I felt like he might be the right person for me, so I gave us a chance,” she shared.

As their relationship grew, the couple decided to get married. Thanh said her mother had supported them while they were dating, but when it came to marriage, she was against it. Being traditional, her mother struggled with the idea of a wedding without a bridal procession, an ancestral altar, or Vietnamese customs. However, after traveling to Australia and seeing Daniel’s sincerity, along with the wedding he organized, filled with family and friends, her mother finally felt reassured.

Since getting married, Thanh has been showered with love and care from her husband. Now, their home is filled with joy thanks to their adorable baby.

A chance encounter at an English workshop

The wedding of Lo Thi Thuy (26, from Son La) and her American husband, Henry (24), made waves on social media in early 2024. Photos of Henry’s mother and grandmother dressed in traditional Thai ethnic attire while attending the wedding, which was rich in Thai cultural traditions, surprised and delighted many.

The wedding of Lo Thi Thuy and Henry in early 2024.

Thuy recalls that five years ago, she and Henry first met by chance during an English workshop by Hoan Kiem Lake. To practice her speaking skills, she struck up a conversation with him. At the time, Henry was visiting Hanoi, exploring the capital’s sights, and stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake, a popular check-in spot for many foreign tourists.

“When I first approached him, all I wanted was to find a foreigner to practice English with. After chatting, I learned that he also wanted to learn Vietnamese, so we exchanged contact information. I helped him with Vietnamese, and in return, he helped me improve my English. Over time, as we talked more, we realized we had a lot in common. He was warm, open-minded, and incredibly positive. Slowly, we developed feelings for each other. Eventually, I accepted his confession, and that marked the beginning of our five-year long-distance relationship,” shared Thuy.

Because of the distance, they could only see each other once or twice a year. During the COVID-19 outbreak, they went two years without meeting in person. Most of their communication happened through social media, where they shared daily moments and stayed connected. With different time zones and busy schedules, they had to be intentional about finding time to talk.

When they decided to get married, both families were fully supportive. Before the wedding, they even held a virtual family meeting to discuss the ceremony. In the end, they agreed that the wedding in Vietnam would follow the traditional customs of the Thai ethnic group.

“I feel lucky that my husband’s family deeply respects Vietnamese traditions,” shared Thuy.

Now, the couple lives and works in Hanoi. Henry has quickly embraced Vietnamese culture, celebrating major holidays with the family, wrapping banh chung, drinking ruou can, and enjoying local delicacies.

Two meetings, one blossoming love

After three and a half years, Thanh Thuy (30, from Dak Lak) and Men Cheo (also known as Mati, 33, from Belgium) decided to register their marriage.

Now, Thuy and Cheo are happily settled in Dak Lak.

At the end of 2018, Cheo sent a message to chat with Huong, Thuy’s twin sister. However, since Huong did not speak English, Thuy responded on her behalf. Being an English major, she chatted fluently with Cheo. From that point on, whenever Cheo messaged, Huong would hand the phone to Thuy to reply.

As their conversations deepened, Thuy and Cheo felt increasingly connected. Eventually, Thuy decided to tell Cheo that she was not the person he had initially messaged. She was worried he might be upset, but his response took her by surprise.

“That does not matter at all. I have been talking to you because I enjoy our conversations, not because of a name or a profile picture,” he told her.

In late 2019, Cheo traveled to Vietnam for their first meeting, and they hit it off immediately. He stayed for three months, during which they traveled, explored Vietnamese culture, and celebrated the festive season together. Cheo was fond of the food and the warmth of the people.

After he returned to Belgium, the pandemic hit, forcing them into a long-distance relationship for over two years. Despite having only met once, they remained incredibly close, spending hours on video calls and sharing every detail of their lives.

By late May 2022, when Vietnam reopened after the pandemic, Cheo wasted no time in flying back for their second meeting. This time, they decided to register their marriage. Almost a year later, they held a wedding ceremony with both families present.

Now, Thuy and Cheo are happily settled in Dak Lak. Cheo has a little garden where he indulges his passion for farming, and the couple couldn’t be happier with their life in Vietnam.

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