A touching anniversary celebration for a couple in their 80s has warmed hearts online, honoring a lifetime of love and devotion.
A video capturing touching moments from the couple’s 70th anniversary celebration has been widely shared on social media in recent days.
According to information gathered, the couple are Nguyen Xuan Cu, born in 1941, and Nguyen Thi Chin, born in 1942, from Lac Dao commune in Hung Yen province.
The ceremony took place on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year 2026, corresponding to February 20, with the presence of 35 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the family’s traditional three-compartment red-tiled house.
The couple celebrate their 70th anniversary surrounded by children and grandchildren.
The celebration space was decorated with fresh flowers and ribbons dominated by red tones. On this special day, the grandmother wore a wedding ao dai while the grandfather appeared in a neat suit, holding his wife’s hand as they walked amid the applause of their descendants. Later in the ceremony, he presented her with a bouquet of gladiolus flowers.
The simple yet solemn moment moved many people.
Mai Anh, born in 2000, a granddaughter of the couple and the person who posted the video, said that even more than ten days later, she and other family members still feel deeply emotional when recalling the anniversary celebration.
Cu and Chin were engaged in 1956 and officially married in 1963. The engagement date was also when the two families formally established their in-law relationship. Because of this, their children and grandchildren later considered that day the couple’s true wedding anniversary.
Over 70 years together, they have raised six children, four sons and two daughters.
Previously, the family had organized celebrations for the couple’s 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries. However, the 70-year milestone was regarded by the extended family as especially meaningful.
Mai Anh and Ngoc Mai (from left) served as hosts of the ceremony.
Cu and Chin’s extended family gathers for the special celebration.
“This year marks exactly 70 years since our grandparents began their journey together. Our family wanted to organize a celebration that would be more special than previous ones, a moment for everyone to gather and remember the beautiful memories of their love and enduring marriage,” Mai Anh said.
One month before the Lunar New Year, the grandchildren began preparing a detailed plan for the celebration, including decorations, filming a documentary-style video and preparing speeches.
After finalizing the plan, during a weekend family gathering, the grandchildren presented their proposal to the parents and asked for permission to organize the event.
“We carefully prepared the plan and presented it to our parents. They supported it enthusiastically, but the whole plan was kept secret from our grandparents,” Mai Anh said.
Ngoc Mai, also born in 2000 and living with the couple, recalled a conversation shortly before the Lunar New Year.
“Grandfather asked me, ‘This year marks 70 years for your grandmother and me. Are you children planning anything?’ I replied, ‘Yes, but we are not sure which day yet. Please prepare a poem for grandmother.’ I really admire how he remembers every milestone with her,” Mai said.
At around 10 p.m. on the third day of the Lunar New Year, the grandchildren gathered to decorate the celebration space. The following morning, when the couple saw their house transformed with elegant red decorations and realized their family’s intention, they were deeply moved.
The anniversary ceremony was organized with solemn rituals similar to a wedding.
Guided by two granddaughters who served as hosts, the couple offered incense to inform their ancestors, shared memories from their 70-year journey together, thanked their descendants and cut a cake to celebrate the special occasion.
Their children and grandchildren also took turns giving speeches, expressing gratitude and admiration for the couple’s enduring love.
“In the poem grandfather wrote for grandmother, the line I remember most is: ‘Seven decades sharing the same pillow and blanket / And even today we still share the same pillow and blanket,’” Ngoc Mai said.
“When our grandparents stepped out holding hands and walked through the applause of the whole family, none of us could hold back our tears. My grandmother cried a lot as well,” she added.
“Our grandparents were very happy. That day grandfather did not speak much, but in the days afterward he kept saying, ‘Thank you, children and grandchildren, for organizing such a beautiful and meaningful celebration for us.’”
Peace together in old age
Romantic moments from the anniversary celebration. Photo: Provided by the family.
The couple have walked side by side for 70 years.
The childhood love story of Cu and Chin has become something of a family legend, often shared among younger generations as an example of lasting marital devotion.
Ngoc Mai said her grandparents grew up in the same commune and attended the same school and class when they were young. Later, their families arranged their engagement.
“My grandmother once told me that when she was 14, she moved to my grandfather’s house to complete the engagement ceremony.
“When she turned 21, according to family elders, they officially married and began their life together. Later, my grandfather served in the army and was away from home for six years, while my grandmother stayed behind raising the children and caring for the family. Despite that, their love never faded,” Mai said.
Growing up in the care of her grandparents and living in the same house, Ngoc Mai has seen their affection for each other more clearly than anyone.
Throughout the years, she has never seen them raise their voices at each other. When one speaks, the other listens patiently.
Now in their late 80s, the couple continue to care for each other attentively in everyday life, from meals to sleep. The grandfather still washes and irons clothes for his wife whenever she attends gatherings or weddings. If they are apart for even half a day, they call each other to check in. When the grandfather was hospitalized, the grandmother insisted on staying by his side despite her own health limitations.
“The way our grandparents treat each other has taught our generation a profound lesson about love. A lasting marriage is built on respect, patience and care, just as they have shown throughout their lives,” Ngoc Mai said.
Although the celebration has ended, the memory of this rare golden marriage continues to resonate, offering a beautiful testament to the enduring strength of love within Vietnamese families.
Vietnamnet.vn
Podcast
.svg){kind=icon}
