Huynh Thao, born in 1992, and Huynh Hien, born in 1995, are sisters from a family in Quang Nam. Thao studied abroad in the US, while Hien studied in the Netherlands.

Later, both fell in love and married foreigners, and held their weddings in Vietnam on the same day. After graduating from a US university, Thao stayed to work. She met Dakotah Wealing, born in 1991, and they’ve been together for 10 years.

In 2020, they wed in the US. Covid-19 forced a simple, cozy ceremony with 10 guests with close family only.

After Thao gave birth, the couple focused on their baby. This spring, with a long leave and gorgeous weather, they decided to hold a grand wedding in Vietnam. Hien married a local in the Netherlands, Klaas Gunter, born in 1989. 

“Vietnam’s spring was too beautiful, so we planned joint weddings here,” Thao said.

Both couples meticulously planned their big day, an idea warmly backed by all three families. A date was set, and the bride’s family and both grooms prepared thoroughly. On February 16, the foreign grooms, with parents, relatives and friends, arrived at the bride’s home in Quang Nam to fetch their wives.

“Everything went smoothly. We shared one bridal party. The grooms loved their first lavish Vietnamese wedding of over 500 guests, wearing ao dai, and performed ancestral rites with their wives.

"The grooms’ families were curious about Vietnamese weddings and thrilled to witness the rituals,” Thao recalled.

The only snag on the wedding day was that Thao’s mother-in-law broke her leg while stepping out of the car. After rushing her to emergency care, the ancestral rite was delayed an hour.

Still, with understanding from all guests, everything wrapped up perfectly.

One bride wore an ao dai and the other a wedding gown. The wedding was a cherished memory for Thao, and for Hien, it was a lifetime highlight. “People were shocked at a wedding with two brides and two foreign grooms. Friends called it unique, beautifully decorated, and grand,” she said.

Hosting so many foreign guests for the first time, Thao and Hien’s parents were nervous but prepared meticulously. Despite language barriers, all three sides tried hard to connect, sometimes via the daughters’ translations, sometimes via apps.

“This day bonded the families. I felt the grooms’ pride in having a traditional Vietnamese wedding,” Hien shared.

Hien’s family now lives in the Netherlands, while Thao’s in the US where she works as an auditor in Indiana. Over the years together, Thao has had her husband’s love and support.

“He adores me, cherishes our child, and anchors our family,” Thao said. 

A TikTok video of the grooms fetching their brides has racked up hundreds of thousands of views and thousands of likes.

Thanh Minh