Programmer marries beautiful Khmer teacher: 3-day wedding, 36 gifts

Hanoi [Vietnam], March 14: The couple Duc Hoang and Hong Tham brought to 'Newlywed Couple' a gentle yet colorful love story, especially with interesting insights into the traditional Khmer wedding customs.
Confessing your feelings after only one day of texting.
The guests on episode 654 of the "Newlywed Couple" program were programmer Tran Duc Hoang (28 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) and Diep Thi Hong Tham (25 years old), a Khmer teacher . Appearing on stage in traditional Khmer wedding attire, the young couple delighted the two hosts, Hong Van and Quoc Thuan.
According to their shared story, they met in 2020. At that time, Duc Hoang was working part-time at a convenience store, while Hong Tham was a regular customer. Impressed by her pretty appearance and personality, Duc Hoang proactively asked for her Facebook to get acquainted. After only one day of chatting, he boldly confessed his feelings.
As for Hong Tham, she admitted to having a soft spot for Duc Hoang's handsome appearance, so she often found excuses to visit his store to buy things. Each time, she made an effort to dress up nicely. Despite her feelings, when she received his quick declaration of love, she hadn't thought about a long-term relationship and just wanted to "date for fun, and break up when the fun is over." Hong Tham humorously shared, "I don't know why, but it's been six years already, and we're just having so much fun!"
On their first date, Duc Hoang was impeccably dressed, polite, and refined, which further captivated her. After getting to know each other, Hong Tham decided to introduce him to her family. The first meeting became an unforgettable memory for the programmer. He recounted, "That day, everyone only spoke Khmer, and I didn't understand anything. I was bewildered and had to ask my wife to translate. The customs were also different from my culture, so I was quite confused." However, the warm and thoughtful welcome from his girlfriend's family helped him quickly integrate.
Duc Hoang's family also supported their relationship. Hong Tham shared that they are both only children and live only with their mothers. However, this shared experience once caused them a crisis. According to Hong Tham, because both mothers live alone and don't want to be separated from their children, the decision of whether to live with the husband's or wife's family became a difficult one. The pressure and anxieties led the couple to consider breaking up. But after only two weeks apart, they realized they couldn't live without each other. They both proactively reconciled, sat down together, and found a way to compromise so they could fulfill their filial duties to their mothers while maintaining their own happiness.
Groom 'shocked' by Khmer wedding
After five years together, Duc Hoang and Hong Tham held two wedding ceremonies: one in the bride's hometown in Tra Vinh (now Vinh Long province) following traditional Khmer customs, and another at the groom's home in Ho Chi Minh City. For Hong Tham, having a complete wedding ceremony according to traditional customs was a long-held wish. Before deciding to get married, she frankly shared with Duc Hoang her desire for him to prepare adequately to organize a thoughtful and complete wedding ceremony.
The wedding ceremony in the bride's hometown lasted three days with many solemn rituals. Hong Tham said the offerings included 36 items such as fruits, cakes, soft drinks, wine, betel nuts, etc. In particular, the bunch of betel nut flowers is an indispensable offering in Khmer weddings . Therefore, choosing a beautiful bunch of betel nut flowers is very important. Hong Tham added that on the main day of the ceremony, from 4 am, the bride and groom woke up to watch the sunrise, perform rituals, and bow and prostrate themselves for so long until noon. Duc Hoang admitted he was quite overwhelmed because the wedding lasted three days and he had to kneel and bow for so long. However, the couple was still very happy to have had a complete and fulfilling wedding.
Since moving in together, their married life has been peaceful. Hong Tham says her husband is quite meticulous and demanding, often complaining if he sees the house messy. Conversely, Duc Hoang shares that his wife often prioritizes work over self-care. Therefore, he hopes she learns to balance work and life, take time to rest, eat properly, and pay more attention to her health. Regarding their differences or shortcomings, they choose to gently offer constructive criticism instead of arguing.
Source: Thanh Nein Newspaper