A number of young men in Vietnam have astonished and deeply moved their girlfriends – and intrigued local netizens – by proposing to or expressing their love for their women in dramatically, painstakingly staged settings in recent years.

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Thanks to the Internet boom and bountiful inspirations, a number of young men have gone to great lengths to sentimentally propose and utter their first love words to their girls in recent times.

One of the latest such stories is a suspense-packed video clip which has grabbed local netizens’ attention.

The clip features a young man carrying his lover on the street when they were pulled over by some “police officers” in plain clothes.

The young man quickly left, leaving behind his baffled girlfriend. The “officers” then “interrogated” the girl on their relationship.

A few minutes later, the girl was elated to find out that the perplexing, nerve-racking “interrogation” was actually a play directed and staged by her boyfriend and some of his friends as a striking proposal to her.

The young man who staged a video clip featuring him carrying his girlfriend on the street when they were pulled over by some “police officers” in plain clothes before proposing to her is elated at the girl's nod.  

Earlier, a member of a local club gathering high-capacity motorcycle buffs also played out a similarly thrilling proposal scenario in a video clip.

The man and his friends pretended to chase after a robber and got hit.

As his girlfriend panicked to see him lying unconscious on the street, people around chanted a love song in unison and the man got back to his feet, holding a bouquet and proposing to his stunned girl.

Scores of other dramatic, romantic proposals include those set in the rain or featuring Vietnamese rap music.

Some also chose to ask their love to marry them against the background of a giant Rubber Duck, the work of internationally-acclaimed Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, which showed up at the foreigner-packed Phu My Hung residential area in Ho Chi Minh City in April last year.   

 The young man in white shirt and black tie (center) and his friends gather for a flashmob and romantic proposal to his girlfriend against the background of a giant Rubber Duck, which paddled to Ho Chi Minh City in April 2014.

Likewise, Dinh Loc, the runner-up of the local version’s second season of dancing show “So You Think You Can Dance,” unexpectedly proposed to Xuan Thao, one of the third season’s Top 4 finalists, onstage after the couple gave a rousing jazz performance during the finale in January this year.

Thao was moved to tears while audiences were giving the couple a standing ovation.

Xuan Thao (second left) looks even more triumphant and elated than the winner (third left) of the third local version of "So You Think You Can Dance" after receiving a romantic proposal from her love onstage during the finale in January this year. Photo: Tuoi Tre

What such impressive proposal plays have in common are the young men’s heartfelt sincerity, their painstaking “scriptwriting,” “directing” and filming, and the enthusiastic support of the “extras,” or the crowds who pamper the couples with thunderous applause and nuptial wishes.

Most of the video clips capturing such memorable proposals draw a huge number of likes and shares on social media.

Not so popular with a few

However, some have expressed their reluctance to do so themselves.

Chieu Dang, 27, a male reader of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, said though he really wishes to give his love similarly romantic surprises when it comes to asking her to marry him, he must take it into careful consideration if his girlfriend by nature would relish – or be embarrassed by – such flauntingly staged proposals in public.

Linh Nguyen, a female reader, revealed though fascinated by such proposals, she herself is unwilling to be the “protagonist” in such plays.

Phong Vu, another male reader, pointed out the pressure the couple would be put under after their proposal video clips are posted and go viral.

“The couples sometimes put too much effort in showing their ‘fans’ how passionate they are in love instead of nurturing their genuine affection,” he stressed.

Dao Le Hoa An, vice director of the Y Tuong Viet Life Skills Training Center, enthusiastically embraces such memorable, theatrical proposals or love expressions, as long as they do not transcend the country’s traditional cultural norms and values.

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