Recently, when her daughter watched an animated film about a family with two fathers, Nguyen Minh Anh Huy, 37, told her children, "If our family has two mothers, that's normal too, right?"

Perhaps, Huy had an inkling of this scenario in her own family after eight years of living with her husband.

At six years old, Huy’s husband - Tien Le (born in 1983, currently living in Da Nang) realized he was different. He liked wearing girls' clothes and would sometimes secretly wear his sisters' clothes without anyone knowing. As he grew older, he recognized his desire to live as a woman.

However, decades ago, the concept of transitioning was not widely accepted. He decided to hide his true self. "Maybe the reason I could hide my gender identity until today is that I still liked women. I'm a transgender lesbian (trans-les). If I liked men, I probably wouldn't have been able to hide for so long," Tien shared.

Life went on quietly until he met Huy at 33, and they got married after six months of dating.

During their courtship, Tien confided in Huy about his liking for wearing women's clothes. Huy, being open-minded and seeing Tien's love for her and for women, agreed to marry.

Their marriage has been peaceful and happy, and they now have two daughters.

Tien Le enjoys riding large-engine motorbikes and is a member of a club of large-engine motorbike riders. Despite his feminine identity, he also loves cooking, decorating the house, and baking, much like many other women.

Throughout their eight-year marriage, Tien has been a responsible breadwinner. A software engineer by profession, he chose to work from home after getting married. Huy, who used to teach at a college, later left her job to open a food store.

From the beginning of their marriage, Tien rarely wore women's clothes despite having an agreement with his wife. "I love beauty, but back then I was over 70kg, so wearing women's clothes didn't look good on me. If it doesn't look good, I won't wear it."

Tien admitted that sometimes, when alone at home, he would secretly wear loose dresses but wouldn't let anyone see.

By the end of 2023, realizing that his weight could affect his health, Tien decided to lose weight seriously. In two months, he lost 11kg and now weighs only 55kg. Standing at 1.65m tall, he realized he could wear feminine and graceful dresses.

Tien began to express his desire to dress as a woman and openly live as his true gender. Along with his weight loss efforts, he started taking care of his skin, growing his hair, and taking hormone treatments.

Three months ago, he asked her wife if they could take a family photo with his dressed as a woman. Huy agreed. But then, Huy was quite shocked, not expecting her husband to look so delicate and graceful in a dress with long hair.

That day, Tien felt happiest being able to express herself after over 40 years of hiding.

"I have a unique trait compared to other transgender individuals. I am very clear in expressing my gender. When I am in male form, I can be very 'masculine'. I never exhibit 'effeminate' behaviors that people often associate with transgender or gay men. I don't need to force myself to appear masculine to hide from society's judgment. I don't know if it's because my gender identity is unique or because I am a perfectionist who only loves perfect beauty."

When dressed as a man, Tien is as manly and strong as any man. But when she wears a dress, she transforms into a different person – soft and gentle.

Although she has not yet undergone any surgeries, Tien already has a very feminine figure.

Sharing her intention to "be a woman" full-time with her wife, Tien was a bit worried about her spouse’s reaction.

At first, Huy was a bit surprised. But she had somewhat sensed her husband's identity over the past eight years, so she agreed quickly. "The only thing she asked was that if I decided to do it, I must do it beautifully and thoroughly, not halfway," Tien shared.

Huy had watched the film "The Danish Girl" – a story about a couple where the husband is a transgender woman, yearning to live as her true self, even at the cost of her life. Huy said she could understand and empathize with Tien.

"I am still the same person. I wasn't pretending when I lived with her before. I am still the person she loved. However, her life will change. She is straight! But Huy said that marriage and love are not just about sex... “I will try to make up for and find ways to mitigate that loss when I fully become a woman physically. I plan to undergo the first surgeries at the end of this year."

Huy is the first to support and encourage Tien to achieve her desired appearance.

Speaking to the press, Huy said that during their eight years of marriage, her husband has always been meticulous and caring with household chores, taking care of the children, and always gentle with the family.

"Initially, I was shocked when my husband expressed his wish. But I didn't blame him. It would be unfair if I didn't allow him to fulfill his desire. I know I will face certain sacrifices, but the most important thing is that we still love each other."

Lately, the most significant change in their family has been dealing with the reactions of relatives and people around them.

"Otherwise, our life hasn't changed much. My husband has only changed in appearance. We still treat each other with respect, share, and love each other as before."

Huy mentioned that she is fortunate to receive support and encouragement from her mother. Tien also admitted to being incredibly lucky and surprised that her mother-in-law was the first to accept the situation so easily.

"Currently, only my two sisters are still upset. My mother has passed the shock phase and is starting to accept. I believe she will overcome it."

True to her gender identity, Tien enjoys taking care of the house, cooking, and baking...

The couple said their biggest concern is their two daughters. Although the girls are still very young and innocent, they have noticed the changes in their father. "During the first photoshoot seeing their dad in women's clothes, our younger daughter covered her face with her hands."

"We understand it was her reaction to her father's new appearance. After that, I talked to the children, explaining in an age-appropriate way. Now, they have accepted their dad's new look and often praise 'dad is beautiful.'"

Huy shared that what she cares about most now is their children. She only hopes that the people around them and society will be knowledgeable, open-minded, and respectful towards people like her husband, not saying anything that might hurt their children.

"I also told my husband that if he wants surgery, do it as soon as possible and hope he will be happy with his decision."

Tien plans to undergo the first surgeries at the end of this year.

Nguyen Thao