The love story of the groom who twice 'asked to return' the bride
“Before leaving for re-enlistment, I brought my girlfriend to report to the agency and declared that I was giving up my relationship with her,” Mr. Yen recalled.
Nearly 40 years have passed, but Mr. Do Van Yen (born in 1944) - a famous robber-catching knight in Kim Lien ward (Dong Da, Hanoi) - still carefully keeps all of his and his wife's wedding photos from 1979.
He said it was a valuable asset, an unforgettable moment in his life.
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| Mr. Do Van Yen - Head of the People's Protection Committee of Kim Lien Ward (Dong Da, Hanoi). |
The bride was "abandoned" by the groom twice
Mr. Yen said, it was a very special wedding. The bride and groom had to go through so many hardships to be able to come together.
After his time as a special forces soldier, Mr. Yen returned to Hanoi and was transferred to a position as a personnel officer at a mechanical factory. There, he met a girl. They met, fell in love, and decided to get married. However, before they could have a wedding, Mr. Yen was re-mobilized.
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| Mr. Yen and his wife at their wedding (Photo: Character provided). |
At that time, he was a party member, so all relationships (including having a girlfriend) had to be reported to the organization. When the order to re-enlist was given, he was afraid that his girlfriend would lose her youth if she waited too long, so he decided to break up.
Unexpectedly, when they returned home after their time was up, they found that the girl was still not married, so they reunited. They both agreed to get married on Christmas Day.
However, the wedding had not yet taken place when the border war broke out. Mr. Yen was again mobilized into the army.
This time, Mr. Yen determined that the return date would be very far away. He again persuaded his girlfriend to come to the office and announced that they were breaking off their relationship. After that, he went to war and had no contact with his girlfriend back home.
After returning from the war, he was deeply moved because the girl he rejected twice was still waiting for him. Therefore, in order not to miss out on his loyal daughter, he hurriedly organized a wedding.
Wedding with 20 groomsmen
When organizing the wedding, Mr. Yen received support and help from many friends. Therefore, with only the position of deputy head of the organization department of a mechanical factory, Mr. Yen's wedding was so grand that many people admired it.
“Our wedding venue was the space in a state-owned trading store on Duong Thanh Street. During the day, this place sells goods and at night, it is used as a wedding venue. However, renting this place was extremely difficult. My family had to arrange relationships to be able to hold the event here,” Mr. Yen recalled.
Besides helping Mr. Yen rent a grand wedding venue, his friends also helped him a lot in organizing transportation.
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| Mr. Yen's wedding was considered grand at that time (Photo: Character provided). |
“A friend rented me a 40-seat car - a new and rare type of car at that time. Friends who were drivers also brought their cars to support my wedding procession.
In total, the wedding had more than a dozen cars. The cars drove one after another through the streets, making many people admire them,” Mr. Yen said.
Besides, with a large number of friends, Mr. Yen's wedding also surprised many people because the groom's family had up to 20 groomsmen. 2 live bands (1 band from Kim Lien ward, 1 band from the factory) also enthusiastically served the happy day of the young couple.
“There were hundreds of guests at the wedding. All of them only had tea. The wedding gifts were just handkerchiefs, mirrors, combs… The most valuable gift was a two-compartment lunchbox given by the Minister of Health. However, laughter filled the hall,” the knight who caught robbers from Kim Lien ward recalled.
He said that in the 1970s and 1980s, the country was still poor and the families had economic difficulties. Mr. Yen's father was a Department Head of the Ministry of Health, and Mr. Yen himself was also the deputy head of the factory's human resources department. His family of 6 still had to live together in a 28m2 apartment.
“On our wedding night, my parents and siblings had to sleep over to give us some privacy. After that night, everyone returned home.
The 28m2 room can accommodate up to 6 people and 4 beds. The members’ clothes must be placed at the end of the bed or under the bed because there is no space for installing a wardrobe,” Mr. Yen shared.
Despite all the difficulties, Mr. Yen and his wife still overcame everything. They lived happily and the wedding photos are still treasured and kept by him to this day./.