The stormy days leading to Anh Duong's dream

Anh Duong and her husband wore ao dai during the wedding procession in Ho Chi Minh City on October 12 – Photo: NVCC

Not only does Ms. Anh Duong (35 years old, CEO of a culture and arts company in London, UK) have a beautiful love story lasting more than 9 years with her Korean husband, which just ended with a wedding in Ho Chi Minh City.

Independence after family crisis

Ms. Anh Duong was a former French major student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted (HCMC).

At the time when she was undecided about her future path, Ms. Duong faced the first shock of her life when her parents failed in business, closed their law office and incurred a large debt. “My family went bankrupt in 2007-2009, lost everything, and had to rent a house,” she said. That difficulty forced the girl who had a smooth life to become independent earlier, go to work to earn money and hunt for scholarships to study abroad.

With the intention of studying abroad in an English-speaking country, having only known French since childhood, Anh Duong started learning a new language at the age of 18. Thanks to her talent for foreign languages, combined with applying the skills she learned in French and the support from her sister, English was no problem for Anh Duong.

Not having money to go to foreign language centers, she self-studied by reading books and doing exercises in the library, and also taught communication skills and public speaking to staff of several businesses at an international school in Vietnam.

And at the age of 20, Ms. Anh Duong went to the US to study at one of the seven best girls' schools in this country, after receiving a scholarship.

During her years as a sociology student, she worked in many jobs such as interning at a non-profit and children's support fund in Washington, DC, a technology company in India, an American investment bank, volunteering as an English teacher, tour guide, and French teaching assistant for a school...

“Working a lot, besides gaining experience, also helped me cover my living expenses, because my family in Vietnam at that time was still very poor,” she said. There was a time before she went to study abroad, when the whole family of five, including her grandmother, parents and two sisters, had to squeeze together in a one-bedroom apartment in an old apartment building.

And it is those difficulties that motivate her to keep trying.

Never give up on your passion.

After graduating, Ms. Anh Duong became a financial specialist at an investment bank in the United States thanks to her ability and perseverance, despite working in a field other than her major. In 2012, Ms. Duong joined a small business in economic risk management in the United States.

After two years, when her US visa extension failed due to objective reasons, she was transferred to work at the company's representative office in London (UK).

Two years ago, after graduating with a master’s degree in business administration in the UK, she and a few friends started a project to share culture and art. Using technology, the company will work with museums and cultural and art centers in the UK, the US, and Europe and connect with young people to attract more young people to come here.

Ms. Anh Duong on her graduation day with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago (USA) in 2022 - Photo: NVCC

“During my master’s degree, I realized that I was still passionate about art and culture, but I had never been able to do it because I was only focused on making money to take care of my life and family. Therefore, after buying a house for my parents (an apartment in District 4 – PV) and paying off my debt, I decided to pursue what I love,” she shared.

Starting her own business, in just six weeks, Ms. Duong raised $1 million in capital, and had previously received a small investment from a school in Chicago (USA). From then on, she quit her job at the finance company and focused full-time on the start-up.

Starting a business has its ups and downs. But what makes me happiest is that I can now make money from my passion.

Ms. Nguyen Anh Duong

A love affair that lasted nearly a decade

In 2015, just a year after arriving in the UK, Ms. Duong first met Mr. Kim Koo Yeon (from Seoul, South Korea, currently working at a global investment fund) at a party at a friend's house.

They had similar interests and shared a common interest in a charity fund to help street children, so they kept in touch. Ms. Duong recalled: “The first time we met privately, he thought it was a date, so before leaving, he went to a beer bar to drink alone to calm his nerves. As for me, I thought it was just a normal coffee date with friends, so I wore my workout clothes to the meeting place.”

After that memorable moment, they slowly fell in love and their relationship lasted for more than nine years before ending with a wedding held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 12. More than a year before, Koo Yeon proposed to Duong in Phu Yen.

She shared that in addition to her family and long-time friends, the wedding ceremony was also attended by many friends from all over the world, some of whom were visiting Vietnam for the first time. That day, while the bride wore her grandmother's ao dai, the Korean groom also chose an ao dai, fabric pants, and wooden clogs for the ancestral ceremony and the bride's procession.

“I feel happy, excited but also nervous,” Koo Yeon smiled, telling us in broken Vietnamese that he is learning by himself.

“We simplify everything to make life easier” – the simple newlywed couple talks about the “secret” to building a life together like that.

Having been in love for many years, Ms. Anh Duong said that there was a time when they both took turns studying for a master's degree and working, so they had little time for each other. However, they always supported each other's passions and decisions, sympathized with each other in difficult times, and encouraged each other in a humorous way. In addition, they also respected each other's privacy.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-ngay-di-qua-dong-bao-tim-den-uoc-mo-cua-anh-duong-20241020101242413.htm