Growing up as one of nine siblings in Quynh Anh Commune, Nghe An Province, Hoang Hong Lam always knew what it meant to share - not just space or meals, but care, burdens, and affection.

Now 33, Lam looks back on her childhood not with nostalgia for things they lacked, but with gratitude for the closeness they built.

“My parents worked tirelessly, raising shrimp and tending the fields to provide for us,” she said. “But what stayed with me most was how we took care of each other. That’s what made us feel rich.”

Her eldest brother, Hoang Thanh Hieu, now 36, was a constant, reliable presence through those years.

“There was always someone helping - feeding the little ones, bathing them, supporting our mother after childbirth,” Lam recalled. “We were never told to do those things. It just came naturally. And I think that’s what our parents are most proud of.”

A celebration twice as joyful

 
That bond between siblings didn’t fade with time. If anything, it only grew stronger.

Ten years ago, the family marked two major milestones at once. Hieu was preparing to marry, while Lam was getting engaged. Initially, the plan was to hold Hieu’s wedding first, then Lam’s engagement afterward. But as the families talked, a new idea emerged.

“Our parents and both sides of the in-laws agreed - why not hold them together?” Lam said.

And so, on one vibrant, love-filled day, Lam and her brother celebrated the start of their new lives - side by side. With over a hundred banquet tables and extended family from both grooms and brides, it became a day the family still talks about with delight.

“To share that milestone with my brother,” Lam smiled, “was to double the joy.”

Living next door, by choice

 
In 2018, their parents gifted the two siblings a plot of land near the family home.

Rather than dividing it and going separate ways, Hieu and Lam agreed on something more meaningful: build two houses with a shared wall, and raise their families in harmony.

Their spouses embraced the idea fully.

Now, seven years on, the two households continue to live side by side - not as an arrangement of convenience, but of affection.

“We cook and eat in our own homes,” Lam said. “But everything else, we share - time, errands, support.”

If one family runs out of groceries, they borrow from the other. They look after each other’s kids, watch over each other’s houses, and gather often just because they feel like it.

One of Lam’s favorite memories is of a power outage one evening.

“We brought out chairs and sat in the backyard, just talking under the stars while the kids played,” she said. “In that quiet, I felt so full - just being able to turn my head and see my loved ones there.”

Built on fairness, strengthened by love.

Like all families, they’ve had small disagreements. But Lam says they’ve learned not to hold on to them.

“Our parents taught us from a young age to forgive, to be patient, to put love first,” she said. “They treated all nine of us equally. That shaped how we see each other - even now, as adults.”

Today, Lam is raising her own children in that same spirit.

“A big family isn’t always loud or busy,” she said. “But even in the quietest moments, you can feel the weight of the bond. That’s something I want my kids to know: love grows stronger when you choose to stay close.”

Thanh Minh