Rosmarie has recently spent two weeks experiencing the interesting culture, cuisine, and life of Vietnam, the birthplace of Anh (born 1989, from Nghe An).

Anh married Jorg Strehler (born 1985, from Zurich, Switzerland) in 2021, and they currently live and work in Switzerland. At that time, the couple planned to hold a wedding in Vietnam, and her husband's family had already bought plane tickets to attend the ceremony. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the wedding had to be postponed. 

Rosmarie often said regretfully to her daughter-in-law: "I missed my appointment with Vietnam." After Anh gave birth to her first child, Rosmarie’s desire to visit Vietnam grew more intense. And the reason behind it moved Anh forever.

“My mother-in-law said she wanted to see her daughter-in-law's homeland with her own eyes and experience the cultural life here to understand me better. She also believed that by understanding the Vietnamese way of life, she could understand her daughter-in-law's way of raising the child,” Anh said.

Anh's father-in-law passed away. Wanting his mother to have a comfortable trip without worries, her husband decided to stay behind to care for the child and manage the house so Anh could take his mother to Vietnam.

Rosmarie was excited and prepared very carefully for this trip. About a month prior to that, she tried eating some Vietnamese dishes so as not to be surprised. She even practiced eating sea fish, a dish she had never had before. She also looked for gifts to buy for the in-law family. However, Anh did not want her mother-in-law to carry heavy loads, so she advised her to limit them as much as possible.

“I suggested that I would act as a bridge so both families could understand each other without complicated gifts,” she said.

Gifted gold by in-laws

On April 21, Anh and her mother-in-law landed in Hanoi. Because of the bad weather, they missed their trip to explore Ha Long. Instead, she took her mother-in-law to Ninh Binh for sightseeing, hot spring bathing, and then returned to her hometown of Nghe An to visit the family.

Hearing that the in-law was visiting, Quynh Anh's mother and foster mother (her paternal aunt) were very excited. They prepared everything from the bedroom to food suited to her taste to welcome the in-law most thoughtfully.

“When we arrived in Nghe An and saw everyone waiting with warm smiles, my mother-in-law was very touched. Since they had already met via video calls, there was no awkwardness. They quickly bonded through smiles, handshakes and body language,” Anh shared.

Before the trip, Rosmarie had pierced her ears, hoping to buy a pair of earrings in Vietnam as a keepsake. However, due to a busy schedule, she had not had the chance.

When Anh’s aunt learned about this, she took Rosmarie to a jewelry shop and bought her a pair of gold earrings as an 80th birthday gift. The gesture deeply moved her.

“Previously, every time I returned to Vietnam, my mother-in-law would send gifts to my family. This time, my aunt wanted to give her a meaningful gift in return,”  Anh said.

Rosmarie stayed in Nghe An for two days before traveling with her in-laws to Da Nang and Hoi An.

Rosmarie had unforgettable experiences in Vietnam. Going to each place, she wanted to enjoy the local rustic dishes. When she found a dish she liked, she asked for the recipe so that after returning to Switzerland she could prepare it for her daughter-in-law and family to enjoy.

She was impressed by the beauty and friendliness of Vietnamese people. Many times she said to the in-laws: “Vietnam is very special because everyone smiles a lot. Everywhere I go, I meet friendly smiles, being welcomed and asked after.”

“With my companionship, the three mothers had a very meaningful trip. Despite the language barrier, they were very good at guessing each other's intentions. In  general, I didn't need to translate, yet everyone could understand each other clearly.

“After two weeks of experiencing the culture and life in Vietnam, my mother-in-law said something that moved me deeply: ‘Now I know your homeland and understand your personality and lifestyle better. I can help you take care of baby and cook Vietnamese meals when needed’,” Anh recalled.

Thanh Minh