Na Si Kine (commonly called Kin, born in 1996, hometown in Chau Phong, An Giang, of the Cham ethnic group) and Le Tien Nghia (born in 1996, hometown in Can Tho, of the Kinh ethnic group) got married after eight years of dating. Their weddings were organized in late April and early May 2026.

Nearly two months have passed, yet the couple still retains the emotions of their big day.

Due to cultural and religious differences, they held three weddings lasting seven days, with each ceremony carrying the distinct character of each ethnic group.

The bride’s family wedding lasted three days, following Islamic teachings. The groom’s family wedding lasted two days according to traditional Vietnamese wedding customs.

Kin’s maternal hometown is in former Soc Trang Province, now part of Can Tho City. Because Kin’s maternal grandparents are Khmer, they wanted to hold a separate wedding for their granddaughter following traditional Khmer customs. So the couple had another 2-day wedding with many interesting elements.

Kin said the wedding at the bride’s home followed traditional Cham customs. The groom’s family brought 10 trays of offerings including: fruit, clothing, cosmetics, perfume, headscarves and cash. The bride’s family returned a tray of traditional cakes as a reciprocal gift.

“Those offerings, the groom prepared according to my preferences,” Kin said.

Before the main ceremony day, relatives gathered at the bride’s house to make traditional cakes, cook beef curry, and set up tents.

On the first wedding day, the bride and groom performed the hand-tying ritual and Nikah—the official marriage rite in Islam.

On the second day, the couple held the “seating ceremony.” Both sat on the ceremonial chair while both families performed prayers and blessings for the couple’s lifelong happiness.

“The third day is the Bridal Procession ceremony. Instead of welcoming the bride, the Cham perform a ritual to welcome the groom to the bride’s house. A dignitary in the village holds a handkerchief and leads the groom and the groom’s entourage into the bride’s house in traditional music,” Kin shared.

Though he had been introduced to these customs a year earlier, the wedding customs at the bride’s home still surprised Tien Nghia. What surprised him most was how many rituals there were and how long they lasted. Even so, relatives and neighbors patiently carried them out with the bride and groom.

The wedding at the groom’s home was held according to traditional Vietnamese customs. However, some rituals were simplified.

“The groom’s family replaced alcohol with tea when toasting the bride’s family. Dishes served to the bride’s family were also prepared separately, mainly seafood. I’m very grateful my parents-in-law understood me and fully respected the bride’s family,” Kin said.

During the 2-day wedding at Kin’s maternal hometown, the couple did not perform rituals, only holding 26 banquet tables to announce the marriage. However, the couple still wore traditional Khmer wedding attire, and the wedding space was decorated with strong cultural features of this ethnic group.

Kin admitted that holding multi-day weddings with many rituals made her a bit tired. In seven days, the bride changed into six dresses, repeatedly knelt for ceremonies, and stood to welcome guests.

“Even so, we were extremely happy to experience new things at our wedding, especially receiving love and blessings from both families,” Kin shared.

An 8-year love story

Kin and Nghia had eight years of rocky dating. The couple met in 2017 while working at a supermarket. Kin had a crush first, but it was not until September 2018 that they confessed their feelings and officially dated.

Afraid her parents would not allow her to date someone of a different faith, Kin hid it from her family for three years. When they found out, both families objected, worried that religious and cultural differences would prevent the couple from being happy.

“We didn’t break up, but we also didn’t disobey our parents. We just stayed together like that,” Kin said.

One day, Nghia told his mother: “I love Kin very much. If you don’t agree, then she and I will just stay like this forever because there’s no other way.” Loving her son, Nghia’s mother agreed to the union and was willing to let her son convert.

“His mother told me: ‘I won’t stop you two anymore. I will love you like my own daughter.’ When my parents saw I truly loved him, they also softened,” Kin said.

Thanh Minh