Vietnamese girl conquers American engineer, groom's family wears traditional Vietnamese dress and carries 7 wedding trays

(Dan Tri) - The engagement ceremony of bride Minh Ngoc and groom John Kent caused a stir on social networks when the groom's family "followed local customs" wearing ao dai and carrying 7 trays to ask for the Vietnamese girl's hand in marriage.

The fateful meeting at 11pm

During a trip to Vietnam in September 2019, American engineer John Kent (35 years old) met a Vietnamese girl through a dating app. At first glance at the profile picture and personal information written in English of Minh Ngoc (34 years old), John took the risk of starting a conversation to see if the girl would respond. He took the initiative to say hello, but unexpectedly the other person responded in English, so he felt very happy to have the opportunity to talk and exchange without a language barrier. "After a while of talking, we made an appointment to meet," Minh Ngoc recalled. On the first date, the girl from Bac Giang, working in the tourism industry, was busy welcoming important guests so she kept postponing the appointment. The hustle and bustle of work made her forget about time, even forgetting her first meeting with John. When she remembered, it was already 11pm, she quickly texted him to apologize and make another appointment. But what surprised her was that the American guy still insisted on meeting. During the date, the two discussed work and personal interests. Ngoc was interested in John's trips and told him about her experiences in the tourism industry. He listened attentively and realized that the girl in front of him was "very interesting and attractive". "It was simply a conversation between two friends, we had not yet determined any definite relationship," Ngoc said, adding that the distance between the two countries made her wonder about this relationship.

(After many challenges, John and his wife officially became one family with a perfect wedding in Vietnam). The day John returned to the US, Ngoc only politely exchanged that if he wanted to continue talking, she would reply if she had time, but did not promise anything in advance. What she did not expect was that the American guy continued to keep in touch, ask about and care about each other every day. John and Ngoc had known each other for about 1-2 months when the Covid-19 pandemic broke them apart. For more than two years, the couple accepted a long-distance relationship, at the same time Ngoc encountered a major change in her life. There were times when she felt like she did not want to continue this relationship because she thought "it was going nowhere". After going through ups and downs, long-distance love became the biggest challenge she had to face. They only met once a year, and if they were lucky, twice. As soon as Vietnam officially opened after the pandemic, John immediately booked a plane ticket to visit his girlfriend. The two traveled to Hanoi, Ha Giang, and returned to Ngoc's hometown on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even after the pandemic passed, the two still encountered many obstacles in terms of geographical distance, making it difficult to meet. The relationship also had many storms and challenges, and at one point they even decided not to be together anymore. But after a major incident, the two realized that they really wanted to be with their other half in this life. During a trip to Japan in 2023, John knelt down and proposed to his girlfriend in a peaceful temple. "Will you marry me?", the shy guy looked at his girlfriend sincerely. Ngoc's gentle nod dispelled all John's worries. At that moment, the Vietnamese girl was both surprised and happy. On Lunar New Year 2024, John's parents from the US came to Vietnam to ask for a wife for their son. Before that, Ngoc shared with her boyfriend about the customs of their hometown, that the two of them wanted to get married and had to have the consent of both families. On this occasion, she invited her boyfriend's family to stay for the traditional New Year, then the two sides discussed the future. "His parents really love my family, love Vietnamese cultural customs, especially value connecting family members, and respect the elderly," Ngoc said. 5 years together before getting married, both John and Ngoc considered a lot. It was the difficulties and challenges of a long-distance relationship that awakened their feelings, making both feel more precious and want to live together more than ever. "We asked ourselves the question about our life decisions, whether we really wanted to be with each other regardless of the circumstances? When we had the answer, we both thought the same: No matter if it was in America or Vietnam, no matter where we were, as long as we still held each other's hands tightly," John said.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do" wedding

John and Ngoc's wedding took place in Bac Giang city on October 11-12, including all traditional Vietnamese rituals such as the engagement ceremony and the wedding procession according to the bride's family's customs, while also incorporating elements of a Western wedding. "With the presence of family and friends from both sides, we had a truly special wedding with many memorable moments," said John. The groom's party of 40 people, plus 15 of Ngoc's foreign friends, all came to Vietnam to attend the wedding. Despite being 82 years old, John's grandfather still sat on a plane for 22 hours, traveling nearly 15,000km to witness his grandson's wedding.

(The groom's party wore ao dai, carrying 7 trays to ask for the bride Minh Ngoc's hand in marriage). To prepare nearly 60 ao dai for both men and women for the group of guests, the Vietnamese bride said it took a lot of effort. Because foreigners are taller than Vietnamese people, shops do not have ready-made designs. Ngoc had to find ao dai designs online for each person to choose from. Then, she ordered custom-made dresses according to each size. On the engagement day, the groom John wore a blue ao dai with a dragon print, and the groomsmen wore blue ao dai, carrying 7 trays to ask for the beautiful bride's hand in marriage. John's father - Mr. Edward - happily wore a yellow ao dai, saying "it matches my year of birth". The groom's mother was elegant in a jade green ao dai.

(The bride wears traditional costumes, honoring traditional cultural values ​​on the wedding day). On the wedding day, the bride Minh Ngoc wore a solemn red traditional costume. She said she wanted to take advantage of the most important day of her life to "return to and honor traditional cultural values". In the moment of handing over his daughter to her American groom, Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen (64 years old) was moved, wiping away tears, hoping "that my daughter will always live happily". The couple's wedding was held at a hotel in Bac Giang according to Western customs, Ngoc changed into a white wedding dress. Like other brides, she tried on many different wedding dress styles. There were dresses that looked gorgeous and beautiful, but she felt "she couldn't see herself in them". When trying on the "fateful" wedding dress with a busty style and an emphasis on the waist, Ngoc exclaimed "seeing myself in it is what I have always wanted". The wedding dress does not have too many details, still highlighting the petite curves of Vietnamese women, while also expressing the modernity and personality of the bride. Initially, Ngoc planned to rent this wedding dress, but John encouraged his wife to "buy it to keep as a souvenir".

( The couple held a wedding according to Western customs, the bride was pleased with her "fateful" wedding dress).

Grateful for not letting go of each other in the midst of so many difficulties

A week after the wedding, Ngoc and her husband flew to Idaho (USA). The moment they saw their daughter off at the airport, Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen and Mrs. Ha Thi Van (60 years old) could not contain their emotions, choking up and telling their daughter to take care of her health. Ngoc had to encourage her parents and relatives, promising to take good care of herself and her family, and would return home to visit them in a year. Ngoc knew that her parents did not forbid their love affair, but they had certain worries and did not want their daughter to marry far away. "I know my parents are sad, but through the times I met John and his family, they were reassured because he is affectionate and takes good care of me," Ngoc said. After more than 3 weeks of adapting to her new life, the Vietnamese bride in the US was still bewildered and faced many difficulties, such as differences in climate, habits and culture. Her husband's parents live in the same state, but a few hundred kilometers away. They often send food to John and his wife, call to ask about them, and guide their daughter-in-law to quickly integrate into life. Ngoc’s biggest challenge is not being able to eat Vietnamese food. There are days when she dreams of going to the market to eat banh cuon and banh gio. Before coming to America, she packed rice paper and vermicelli so that whenever she missed home she could make Vietnamese food. Occasionally, she called her parents to tell them about her life in America.

(John and Minh Ngoc registered their marriage in the US). After 5 years of love and marriage, Ngoc silently thanked the couple for not letting go of each other amid countless difficulties and challenges. Relatives and friends from both sides were skeptical about this love story, asking her "is all the sacrifice worth it?". "I think when we are truly sincere, love comes from both sides, there is effort and commitment, then happiness will be rewarded," she said. The Vietnamese bride is grateful to her friends who have accompanied her, listened to her confidences when she encountered many difficulties. Every time she wanted to give up on John, they encouraged her and lifted her up from her tears. "I am also grateful for my previous experiences so that when I entered a love story, I had the clarity to make a decision. And I was right to choose John as my family," Ngoc said. John and his wife hope to stabilize their lives and have a baby soon. When tired, Ngoc remembers her husband's warm words as motivation: "I want to take you to America to experience and explore new lands with me."

Photo: Character provided

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/co-gai-viet-chinh-phuc-ky-su-my-dam-hoi-nha-trai-mac-ao-dai-be-7-trap-cuoi-20241114200358785.htm