Vietnamese women 'shocked' by marriage contracts with Western husbands

There are Vietnamese girls who, while preparing to marry a French man, were in a state of 'severe shock' when their future husbands suggested they sign a "prenuptial contract".

A mutual agreement on the division of common and separate property in the event of divorce.

Some people are so shocked that they cancel their marriages because they think their husbands are too calculating with them financially. However, for the French, having a prenuptial agreement is very normal.

The haunting memory of unhappy marriages continued to haunt Ha's young mind, she always told herself: "Don't love anyone, just live for yourself and be happy." But Jeroen was different from the men Ha had known, he was calm, unhurried, and casual.

Illustration photo.

Of course, everywhere, when in love, people are always romantic. When in love, people always think two is one, one is two. The feeling of being in love makes people see pink everywhere. When in love, there is only the word "us", money is the thing that 'ruins' the romance, so few people want to discuss it clearly.

It must be admitted that couples who love each other deeply, share the good and the bad without distinguishing between money and wealth, can live together until they are old and toothless without needing this "division of common and separate assets".

However, that ideal that everyone dreams of does not happen to everyone. For many couples, many problems happen just because of money problems after getting married. Worse, when dragging each other to court for divorce, many people are shocked to find that the division of assets after divorce is not as "fair" as they imagined.

Only then do we think "if only" we had agreed on common property and separate property before marriage, would we have had less headaches calculating or thinking that the other party was "unreasonable"? In short, even though no one wants their marriage to end one day, we should still think about possible situations and solutions, to avoid falling into a situation where we blame each other even more because of ambiguity.

Looking at Lan with her radiant face filled with happiness now, few people know that in the past she had completely lost faith in love and in life.

Although the French are world-famous for their romanticism in love, that does not stop them from thinking about signing a "prenuptial agreement" when getting married. The prenuptial agreement is a concept that does not exist in Vietnamese law, and Vietnamese law does not recognize this type of contract. However, this type of agreement is very popular in France and in many other developed countries, where independence, individuality and "clarity" in marriage are more valued by law.

A prenuptial agreement in France allows both parties to agree on the division of assets in the event of divorce, inheritance or death. Of course, in the absence of a prenuptial agreement, any assets acquired after marriage (except assets acquired with the separate inheritance of one spouse) or the salaries of both parties will be considered joint assets, and will be divided equally in court when they no longer live together.

However, to be clear about "your money, my money", or for both parties to agree on how to divide money according to their needs, the husband and wife can go to a notary office to sign a prenuptial agreement (to verify the accuracy of the agreement between the two parties) before or after the wedding within two years.

This separate agreement can be a way to divide assets in a divorce that is not equal, with one party getting more and the other less. An agreement to "buy back" the other party's assets in the event of divorce can also be included in the contract. Even any agreement on assets in a completely separate regime is recognized by law, for example, assets purchased after marriage with personal income can also be the separate property of the buyer, if this agreement is included in the prenuptial contract.

In short, couples can discuss the division of finances in the event of problems that lead to the end of their life together, and choose the option that best suits each individual's needs and financial situation. French law even allows husbands and wives to choose the principle that all past, present and future assets are joint, and divided equally upon separation. It all depends on the agreement between the two spouses, so that everyone can accept it.

Prenuptial agreements are actually a huge step forward in the law relating to marriage and family, allowing couples to choose the most suitable financial regime, from a completely joint financial regime to a completely independent financial regime.

Many Vietnamese people will be shocked to know about the existence of this type of contract, because in the Vietnamese perspective, marriage is "sacred". Therefore, signing a contract with binding rights and obligations is a sign that there is not complete trust between husband and wife, or is too "calculating", losing the "sacredness" of marriage.

However, for the French who choose to "divide money" as clearly as possible, they have the view that they do not want every penny, but they want to ensure the future as best as possible, in the most rational way possible. The romance of love does not make them forget the reality of life: in marriage, there is no guarantee that everything will last forever. And in the worst case, there is still a solution that suits the needs of both parties, agreed upon in advance.

So, keep loving passionately, but also think as clearly as possible when getting married, to avoid the most unfavorable situations that may happen in the future.

According to TNO