In 2024, Vu Quang Huy, 32, from Do Son Ward in the northern port city of Hai Phong, went through a major upheaval in his life. The experience pushed him to seek a fresh start in a new place, with a new job. He chose Thailand.

What Huy never expected was that the move would bring him something far more precious: a gentle, loving woman who would eventually be willing to leave her own country and family to build a life with him.

Her name is Patcharaporn Wuttingam, 31, from Bangkok. Known affectionately as Tao, she and Huy have now spent nearly two years building a home together.

When Huy first arrived in Thailand, he worked as a waiter at a restaurant. One day, Tao happened to come in for a meal with some friends.

With only basic English between them, the two nevertheless found themselves chatting easily. Each sensed something special in the other, enough to make them want the conversation to continue beyond that first encounter.

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Quang Huy’s young family. Photo: Courtesy of the family

Huy took the initiative and asked Tao for her contact details so they could keep talking. Although they lived some distance apart and could not see each other regularly, Huy gradually began to feel that fate had brought the right person into his life.

“Whenever I had some free time, I would go and see Tao and take her out for food or somewhere to have fun. I loved her big, round eyes, while Tao liked that I was gentle and easy to get along with,” Huy recalled.

After knowing each other for three months, they officially became a couple. Two months later came unexpected but joyful news: they were expecting their first child.

Even now, Huy vividly remembers the mixture of disbelief and overwhelming happiness they felt at the time. When they learned they were going to become parents, they held each other and cried.

But their happiness came with hardship.

It was one of the most unforgettable periods of Huy’s life. His employment was still unstable and money was tight, leaving him struggling to make sure Tao and their unborn child had what they needed.

“Those days felt very long and difficult. I saved every bit of money I could so I could take Tao for prenatal check-ups, but sometimes it still wasn’t enough. We had to be very careful even with food and everyday expenses,” he said. “We wanted to stand on our own feet, so we didn’t want to trouble either of our families.”

Differences in language and culture also caused occasional disagreements. Yet there was one thing neither of them doubted: they were not going to give up on each other.

Huy was prepared to remain in Thailand if it offered the better life for their family. Tao, in turn, was ready to leave her family behind and move to Vietnam if that was where they could build a more secure home.

Eventually, they chose Vietnam.

In August 2025, when their first daughter was six months old, the young family moved to Huy’s hometown.

A marriage divided by football

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Huy with his gentle, loving wife. Photo: Courtesy of the family

Huy returned to Vietnam with his wife and daughter to a warm welcome from his family. His parents were delighted with their Thai daughter-in-law, whom they found gentle and thoughtful.

The couple initially lived with Huy’s parents in Hai Phong. For Tao, however, adapting to life in an unfamiliar country and to the routines and customs of her husband’s family was not always easy.

Sometimes, she would have to listen closely and watch carefully simply to work out what her mother-in-law was trying to tell her. Huy’s mother, meanwhile, would try every possible way to make herself understood.

There were occasions when neither could understand the other, leaving both frustrated and amused at the same time.

Over time, Huy’s mother patiently began teaching her daughter-in-law Vietnamese. She showed Tao how to shop at local markets and prepare Vietnamese food, while also helping her understand the family’s daily routines and habits so that she could gradually feel more at home.

“Tao likes living in Vietnam partly because the neighbors are so friendly,” Huy said. “People often ask her things like, ‘Is Vietnam beautiful?’, ‘Do you like living here?’ or ‘Is Vietnamese food good?’ Through those questions, Tao can really feel that people care about her. Two months ago, we moved to Hanoi to build a home of our own.”

For Huy, one of the most entertaining parts of being married to a Thai woman comes whenever the couple watch football together - especially when Vietnam and Thailand face each other.

Tao is normally gentle and soft-spoken, but football brings out a very different side of her personality.

Huy still clearly remembers the couple watching both legs of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand. As the two national teams traded goals, husband and wife went through completely opposite emotions.

Vietnam ultimately emerged victorious and lifted the coveted trophy. Tao was disappointed; Huy could barely contain himself, jumping around in celebration.

The scene became one of those funny family memories he has never forgotten.

Two years later, the rivalry returned.

On the evening of August 22, before Vietnam and Thailand met in the first leg of the 2026 ASEAN Cup final, Huy decided to tease his wife in a particularly fitting way: he cooked Thai hotpot for dinner.

The young couple sat together eating hotpot and watching the match, once again experiencing entirely opposite emotions.

Whenever Vietnam scored, Huy shouted and laughed with delight. Tao, meanwhile, turned toward her husband with a look that seemed to warn him not to celebrate quite so enthusiastically.

The affectionate, comical moment was later posted on TikTok, where it went viral and attracted more than 500,000 views.

“It was only after reading the comments that my wife understood what I was implying with the Thai hotpot,” Huy said with a laugh. “She was annoyed, but she also found it funny.”

The second leg of the final takes place on the evening of August 26. Huy and Tao plan to return to Hai Phong to watch the match with his parents.

And nothing will change in their household: husband and wife will once again cheer for opposing teams.

Whatever the final score, each will support their own country and embrace the unusual emotions that come with watching Vietnam and Thailand battle for the trophy - side by side, as a family.

The humorous moment when Huy and his wife watched the first leg of the 2026 ASEAN Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand. Photo/video: Courtesy of the family

Thanh Minh