Vietnamese guy brings a box of oranges to ask for a Japanese wife

"At that time, with my limited Japanese because I had only been here for a month, I still boldly asked for her Facebook and texted her saying I wanted someone to talk to," Xuan Hap, now 33 years old, from Quang Binh, shared.

The first time Yuria met Hap in Yoshida town, Shizuoka prefecture, she was impressed by his maturity and personality. He gallantly helped her clean and carry things at the church, always attentive, completely different from the Japanese men she had known. Through text messages, she felt that he was an honest and lovable person.

The Vietnamese guy often shares about his life, his country's culture and the feelings of people far from home. The Japanese girl said she is the youngest of three sisters, her father passed away when she was in 5th grade. In Japan, she has few friends, relatives, and neighbors, so she is always lonely.

Feelings grew in each person's heart. On April 1st, after three months of knowing each other, Hap confessed his love. Instead of answering, Yuria asked: "If it wasn't April Fool's Day, would that sentence still count?". The guy then realized that today was April Fool's Day so he quickly replied: "Not only on April Fool's Day, I still want you to love me every day."

On the first date, Yuria brought two beautiful bento boxes, as a way for Japanese women to express their love for their lover. They walked on the beach near Hap's house and were so engrossed in their conversation that they forgot to go home. The place was a bit far from the city center, the last bus left at 8pm, so Yuria had to ask her mother to pick her up.

No parent is comfortable with their daughter going out and forgetting to come home. Noriko was no exception. However, the Japanese woman was surprised when she returned home and saw a text message from Xuan Hap apologizing, along with a request for permission to date Yuria.

Japanese culture respects individual freedom. Although Mrs. Noriko was worried about her daughter, who was still in school, dating a foreign boyfriend, she did not forbid it and said, "The two of you have the right to freely date." However, the mother still asked about him through people who went to church. Everyone said, "Hap is a gentle person, so there's no need to worry."

The couple was given the opportunity by their parents. Because their houses were far apart, both of them were at school and at work, they could only meet on Sundays. After the holidays, Mrs. Noriko was busy cleaning up so she would let the children go out. Just waiting for that, Hap held his girlfriend's hand and sat under a tree chatting, sometimes cycling around the park and along the coastal roads.

"In Japan, it is forbidden to ride a bicycle with two people, but because of love, we ignored it. That was the happiest time," the young man recalled about the early days.

Their love grew through their care. There were days when Hap worked overtime at 9pm and returned to his rented room to see Yuria sitting in front of the house, holding a bag of warm food in her arms. In the cold weather of minus 5 degrees, that girl rode her motorbike more than 80 km back and forth, making Hap both love and anger.

"Apart from my parents, she is probably the only one who is this good to me. I told myself that I would love, cherish and protect Yuria more," Xuan Hap said.

Their feelings also matured and deepened through conflicts. Yuria said that Hap was her first love, she gave him 100% of her heart. However, the cultures of the two countries are very different. After being together for a long time, she still could not understand why he texted or called home every day to check in, as well as to report her safety. She was afraid that she would not get used to the crowded culture at his house. "Gathering in large groups and mingling in the crowd is even more impossible," she said.

For Vietnamese men, family is above all. Being together on holidays, death anniversaries, and happy and sad events is ingrained in the culture. The two argued back and forth.

"Thank you for more than two years of love. I hope it will become a beautiful memory for both of us," Hap said goodbye. He also sent a message to Yuria's mother, thanking and apologizing.

The farewell made Yuria's heart ache like a knife, she cried all day. Hap was also immersed in memories. Even though they were 8 years apart, Yuria understood his every thought, action, and knew what he was going to say. "I was in pain thinking that the three-year period was almost over, once I returned I would have to bury my love here," the young man confided.

But the next day, Yuria took the initiative to text her why they had to break up even though they still loved each other. "If I had Hap, I think I would have tried," she said.

The girlfriend's messages of reconciliation made all the problems disappear. They understood each other better and also accepted to change for each other. Just like how Hap considered her mother and siblings as his family, Yuria also gradually opened her heart to consider his family as her own.

The day of returning home was near, Hap wanted to give Yuria and also his love a guarantee so he planned to propose. He asked about the procedures and was surprised when his girlfriend said she wanted to imitate her parents in the past. That year, Yuria's father went to the garden to pick the biggest and most beautiful oranges, carefully wiped them and wrapped them into a gift box with a sincere heart to propose to her mother.

Hap and Yuria went to buy oranges, cleaned each one, and wrapped them into a gift box for their mother. Hap also bought a bottle of his mother-in-law's favorite wine and ingredients to show off his pho cooking skills. When Noriko came home from work in the evening, she was surprised to see Xuan Hap standing at the door in a suit to greet him. His daughters and sons-in-law were all gathered.

During the intimate meal, the young man stood up and expressed his intention to propose to Yuria. "I came here alone, my Japanese is not enough to make you understand. I don't have money or fame, I only have love for Yuria," Hap said, making everyone in the family moved to tears.

The mother asked her children if they truly loved each other, she would allow them to get married. The Vietnamese man married a Japanese woman a week before returning home.

They both thought they would only have to spend a few months in a long-distance relationship to complete the sponsorship process. However, they hired an unreliable service, so the time was extended. Then Covid-19 struck, making the reunion even more hopeless.

In Yuria’s heart during those years, she longed for her husband and was filled with the anxiety that he would be far away from her. Love made her overcome the fear of language and cultural differences to visit her husband. Even when the whole world was panicking about the new pandemic that emerged in March 2020, she braved the Covid-19 storm to come.

The couple was reunited in early 2022. Last May, Hap brought his wife, children and family in Japan back to Vietnam to hold their wedding. On the happy day, the groom was overshadowed by the compliments about the bride's beauty and the cuteness of their daughter.

Yuria said that unlike other Japanese women who have to serve their husbands, her Vietnamese husband comes home from work to help his wife cook, take care of the children, knows how to fix anything broken in the house, and is especially clean. He often writes handwritten thank you letters to his wife, and often comes home from work with her favorite chocolate cake. And after three years together, he still keeps the habit of texting his wife every morning.

"I am happy to have married a Vietnamese husband," Yuria said.