In a heartfelt journey across 5,000km, a Chinese couple embraces the woman their son chose - proving that love transcends both distance and disability.
The love story between Chinese engineer Zhou Zhenqiao (born 1991) and Vietnamese woman Le Pham Hoai Thu Thuy (born 1998, from Dak Nong - now Lam Dong) has moved many with its fairy tale-like journey through distance and adversity.
At age 18, Thu Thuy was left paralyzed from the neck down after a devastating accident. But she refused to surrender to fate. She learned to sell online and taught herself Chinese via the internet, hoping to open trade opportunities with Chinese buyers. She proactively befriended foreigners, chatting with them to improve her communication skills.
It was through this effort that she connected with Zhenqiao, an industrial welding engineer from Anshan City, Liaoning province, China. Their bond grew over time, leading him to quit his job and travel over 5,000km to Vietnam, determined to marry the woman who had captured his heart - despite her disability.
For years, Zhenqiao has stayed in Vietnam to care for his wife. He manages every aspect of her daily life - from meals and sleep to helping her with work and mobility.
To Thuy, his presence still feels surreal. “Sometimes, I couldn’t believe someone could truly love me like this,” she once shared. “But I had to believe it - because he was always there.”
A long-awaited family meeting
Thuy and her husband have been married for nearly three years.The couple now lives and works in Lam Dong province.
The couple now lives and works in Lam Dong province. Though Thuy’s relationship with her in-laws has always been warm, they had never met in person - relying instead on regular video calls. Her in-laws often sent her money for snacks or medicine, showing their affection from afar.
Now, after nearly three years of marriage, that changed.
Her in-laws, aged 62 and 58, made the 5,000km journey from Liaoning to finally meet her in person.
“We had been married for three years, but our families had never officially met,” Thuy said. “My in-laws were worried people might say hurtful things, so they decided to come visit me and my family.”
Despite frequent calls, the thought of meeting face-to-face left Thuy nervous. She feared her in-laws might be shocked or unable to accept the reality of her condition.
But those fears melted away in the very first moment.
“They landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport on January 3, 2026, after 11 hours of flying. My husband and I went to pick them up. The moment she saw me, my mother-in-law bent down to hug me, her eyes brimming with tears. My father-in-law was equally emotional,” Thuy recalled.
“The first thing my mother-in-law said to my husband was, ‘Why didn’t you put socks on your wife to keep her feet warm?’ That gentle scolding touched me deeply.”
Gratitude for love and understanding
Thuy’s in-laws (far left) traveled over 5,000km to Vietnam to visit their daughter-in-law.
At home, the families gathered around a hot pot for their first shared meal. They spoke through translation, gesture, and emotion. Any language barriers were softened by the warmth they felt for one another.
“I felt their love for me through their tears,” Thuy said. “The more we talked, the more they understood - and the more they cared.”
The in-laws stayed for two weeks. Every day, Thuy’s mother-in-law helped with chores, laundry, meals, and personal care. When Thuy felt sore, she would massage her arms and legs with great tenderness.
Her father-in-law helped with the coffee harvest, gladly pitching in with heavy lifting and farm work. Their family meals became joyful gatherings filled with everyday stories and laughter.
“They could have spent this trip sightseeing in Vietnam,” Thuy said. “But they chose to stay home with us. That meant the world to me.”
Moved by their son’s devotion
Thuy’s fatherin-law (in white) wipes away tears as he grieves for his daughter-in-law. The video has garnered 1.1 million views on TikTok.
A video showing Thuy’s father-in-law wiping away tears while watching his son carry his paralyzed wife went viral on TikTok, garnering over 1.1 million views.
Witnessing their son’s unwavering care - lifting Thuy into her wheelchair, helping her through each part of daily life - left his parents overwhelmed.
“My mother-in-law once told me, ‘I never imagined my son could care for someone so thoroughly. Even I admire him,’” Thuy said.
She reminded her son to always keep Thuy warm, knowing how fragile her health is.
After their time together, Thuy felt a renewed sense of strength. The love and empathy of her in-laws helped her shed the weight of self-doubt and embrace her marriage with confidence.
“They don’t treat me like a daughter-in-law,” Thuy said. “They treat me like a daughter. I’m deeply grateful.”
Vietnamnet.vn
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