Le Thi Phuong Thao and Tran Dinh Thu, both from Hai Duong, have a love story full of tolerance and sacrifice, especially a wedding without a groom, only the bride.
Ready for long distance love and waiting
"In the 1 year and 2 months since we met, we have only met 4 times, the total meeting time was 8 hours", shared by Le Thi Phuong Thao (born in 2003, from Hai Duong) which attracted many people's attention.
On the social network TikTok, Thao nicknamed herself “The rear of the navy soldier”. Thao’s husband, Tran Dinh Thu (born in 1998, from Hai Duong), is currently working on the island.
Before living together, the couple had a love story full of joy and tears of longing.
Dinh Thu used to be a soldier stationed in Quang Ninh. The couple met online in September 2023, when Thao was a student in Hung Yen.
She refused to meet Thu many times. However, his sweet soul, kindness and sincerity moved her. From the fear of long-distance love, Thao began to love the color of the soldier's uniform.
Before Thu went to Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) for training, the couple met 3 times. After that, Thu proposed to Thao via text message and received Thao's consent. In December 2023, when Thu was preparing to go to the island to perform his duty, Thao visited him. That was the 4th time they met since they met.
“My parents have never even met him in person, they only talked to him via video call. His family enthusiastically set us up. Thanks to that, I have more confidence in this relationship,” Thao shared.
She recalled that when they first started dating, she joked with her boyfriend, "I guess it will be hard for you to find a girlfriend." She never expected that she would later voluntarily give her heart, willing to love him from afar and wait for him.
Wedding without groom
In June 2024, with the encouragement of both families, the couple decided to hold an engagement ceremony. 3 months later, because they chose an auspicious day, they held the wedding. However, on both of these important occasions, Dinh Thu was absent due to work away from home.
“The biggest reason I agreed to this marriage was because of my love for him, and then my love for the color of the shirt he wears. My parents only said, ‘You have to accept that the future will be difficult at times,’ but they are very proud of my husband’s job,” Thao said.
Thuy works far from home, Thao has to do everything by herself. The day she went to her boyfriend's house to meet his parents, Thao went alone. On the day of the engagement, Thao and her family were alone to welcome the groom's family.
On the wedding day, the person who came to welcome Thao was not her husband but her mother-in-law. All rituals such as pouring wine, cutting the wedding cake... were put on hold.
“On the wedding day, his phone signal was out so he couldn’t call home. Happiness, sadness… all turned into tears. When the MC shared about the soldier, everyone was moved.
Of course there will be rumors and gossip at a wedding without the groom, but I don't care. The home front is inherently strong like that," Thao confided.
After the wedding, Thao moved in with her in-laws, 7 km away. Due to the distance and unstable internet connection, for nearly a year she and her husband could only text and call each other, but could not make video calls to see each other.
Both sides understand each other's feelings. Thao knows that while she feels sad because she is far from her husband, her husband also feels tired and homesick when he is away from his family and his wife. The young couple often calls and texts to comfort and encourage each other.
“My husband once asked, 'Do you find it hard? Do you regret marrying me?'. I still answered, 'I have never regretted it because my husband is a wonderful person,'" Thao shared.
The love and care of her parents-in-law also compensated Thao a lot. Knowing that her daughter-in-law sometimes felt sad, her parents-in-law often encouraged and motivated her. Thao always believed that such wonderful people would have wonderful children.
Phuong Thao shared that her husband is on a voyage back to the mainland, completing a year of protecting the islands. The couple is looking forward to the moment of reunion.
TB (according to Vietnamnet)