100 couples join mass wedding in Ho Chi Minh City
Sunday, September 03, 2017, 13:31 GMT+7
A hundred couples of underprivileged backgrounds rejoiced in marriage on Saturday in Ho Chi Minh City in a mass wedding sponsored by the city.
The event was organized by the Center for Assisting Youths and Workers, under the municipal Youth Union, on the 72nd anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2).
From 6:00 am, 200 men and women in traditional Vietnamese gowns gathered at the union’s headquarters in District 1 to begin a bicycle parade across multiple downtown streets.
The parade arrived at the statue of Ho Chi Minh on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street at around 7:00 am, where the couples offered flowers to the late Vietnamese president and were presented with commemorative badges by city leaders.
“I’m overwhelmed,” said 39-year-old Tran Thi Chon, who held onto her husband’s hand dearly. “After years of dreaming about our own wedding, we can now finally have one that is even fancier than our wildest dreams.”
At 8:00 am, the couples resumed their parade toward the Queen Plaza Ky Hoa wedding center in District 10 for the main ceremony.
Filling the 100-table wedding hall were families and friends of the spouses, who sat in emotional silence as they watched a video telling the moving stories of the couples.
At noon, the newly-weds were invited onstage to receive their marriage certificate and have their first glasses of champagne as husbands and wives.
The mass wedding, the tenth of its kind in the city, has been held annually since 2008 to honor traditional Vietnamese wedding customs and the spirit of kindness and sharing of its people.
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| A hundred couples gather at the headquarters of Ho Chi Minh City’s Youth Union in District 1 for the mass wedding, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Couples join a bicycle parade during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Couples join a bicycle parade during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Couples join a bicycle parade during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Couples offer flowers to late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh at his statue on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| A couple are presented with commemorative badges by city leaders. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| A couple look at their wedding photo sponsored by the city. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Couples enter the wedding hall at the Queen Plaza Ky Hoa wedding center for the main ceremony. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Couples exchange their first kiss as husbands and wives during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Couples cut wedding cakes during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| A couple smiles for a photo during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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