On her TikTok channel, Thao calls herself "hau phuong cua chu bo doi hai quan” (the rear of the naval soldier). The ‘naval soldier’, her husband, is Tran Dinh Thu, 27, who is now serving in the army, stationed on an island.

Before marriage, they had a love story full of happiness and tears. 

Thu was a soldier stationed in Quang Ninh. The couple met online in September 2023, when Thao was a student in Hung Yen.

Thao many times refused to meet Thụ. However, his sweet soul, kindness, and sincerity touched her heart. For a girl who refused long-distance relationship, she then fell in love with a man in an army uniform.

Before Thu left for Cam Ranh in Khanh Hoa to receive training, the couple met three times. Thu confessed his love through a message and got the nod from Thao. In December 2023, before Thu left for an island on official army service, Thao came to visit him, marking their fourth meeting.

"We've been together one year and two months, but we met each other only four times. My parents haven’t met him in person, only through video calls,” she said. “But I trust in our relationship."

When Thao first communicated with Thu, she joked that Thu would have difficulty in seeking a lover. She did not imagine that she woukd become that person one day.

Encouraged by both families, they decided to hold an engagement ceremony in June 2024, and chose an auspicious date for wedding three months later. 

However, Thu was absent from both significant occasions due to his distant duties.

"I married him because of my love for him and for his army uniform. My parents told me to prepare myself well for future hardships, because Thu can’t be by me all the time,” she said. “I really take pride in my husband’s work."

As Thu is far away, Thao manages everything alone. She saw her parents in law for the first time. She and her family members received them in the betrothal ceremony. On the wedding day, her mother-in-law, not her husband, came to take her to her husband’s home.

The official ceremony moments like cutting the cake and pouring celebratory wine were postponed.

"On our wedding day, he lost the phone signal and couldn’t call home. Happiness and moments of emotion made me shed tears," Thao confided.

"My husband once asked, 'Do you regret marrying me?' I always answer, “I never regret it because my husband is wonderful,'" Thao said.

Thanh Minh