The cheerful chatter and the smell of food coming from Mr. Luyen's kitchen made the neighbors extremely admiring. Mr. Luyen's wife - Ms. Bui Thi Thanh Xuan, a teacher at Trang An Secondary School, Dong Trieu town (Quang Ninh) joked: "I take advantage of the weekend when the whole family gets together so I have the opportunity to show off my talent."

Xuan and Luyen's families were neighbors. Although Luyen was 10 years older than Xuan, their childhoods were very close. Xuan recalled: "Those summer days were really fun, the children in the village often gathered at the cultural house to practice the Team rituals and performances in preparation for the summer camp. Luyen was the Team Leader, and I was always assigned to stand at the front of the line because of my serious attitude and correct movements. After each practice session, Luyen always volunteered to take me home."

After finishing high school, Luyen chose to pursue a military career, while Xuan dreamed of becoming a teacher. Luyen's mother saw that her son was often away from home for work, so she wanted to find a wife for him to live nearby so that he could take care of both sets of parents. Knowing that Xuan from the neighboring village was both beautiful and virtuous, Luyen's mother "took notice" of her and wanted to matchmake her son.

During his vacation, Luyen was determined to conquer Xuan in the shortest time possible. Thinking and doing, in the evening, Luyen dressed formally to visit Xuan's family. With his mature, confident style and witty way of speaking, Luyen won the affection of the elders in the family. During his vacation days, Luyen even took the initiative to ask permission to pick Xuan up and drop her off at work.

Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Van Luyen - Bui Thi Thanh Xuan (photo taken on Tet 2023).

Knowing Luyen's intention, at first, Xuan's parents were somewhat worried that their daughter would suffer many disadvantages and hardships because Luyen's job often required her to be away from home. However, during her short vacations, with her diligence, sometimes Luyen helped plant trees, sometimes fixed electricity lines, water pipes... Xuan's parents felt somewhat reassured. So after only a month of dating, Luyen and Xuan became husband and wife with the blessings of both families, relatives, and colleagues.

After the wedding, Luyen quickly returned to duty. The unit was stationed far away (Division 312, Corps 1), so he rarely had the opportunity to visit home. At this time, Xuan understood her husband's hardships and the difficulties she had to face. The most difficult period was when she was pregnant with her first child. The continuous bouts of morning sickness made her vomit frequently and skip meals. Many sleepless nights, feeling both sorry for herself and missing her husband, she could only send her heartfelt thoughts to him through heartfelt letters.

Although he had planned in advance, on the day she gave birth, because of the long distance, he could not be there. Fortunately, with the support of both her paternal and maternal families, she gave birth successfully. When he welcomed her and her child back from the hospital, he could only hold her hand and thank her for enduring so much hardship and suffering so that he could work with peace of mind. Seeing him holding the baby tenderly and lovingly; at that moment, she felt truly happy. In 2002, Luyen transferred to Brigade 405, Military Region 3. "Although the unit was stationed near home, due to the requirements of the mission, Luyen was not often at home. Loving and understanding him, I did not feel sad but told myself to be strong and overcome the difficulties so that he could work with peace of mind," Xuan confided.

After 24 years of being together, their happiness is their eldest daughter Nguyen Cam Ly, who is currently a fourth-year student at the University of Commerce; their son Nguyen Dinh De, a student of Class 10A2, Dong Trieu High School, is intelligent, well-behaved, and a good student. They always feel satisfied with their current life. And she always thinks: "Thank life every morning when I wake up. I have another day to love".

Article and photos: TRAN THANH HUYEN