A new bride and groom had an extraordinary trip from Ho Chi Minh City to the southernmost province of Ca Mau on Monday, as the last stage of their traditional Vietnamese wedding ritual was comlpeted on board a charter flight.

The newlyweds and their family members, collectively making up a 62-passenger delegation, boarded an ATR 72 plane operated by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines to cover the 300km route to complete the ‘getting the bride’ rite, according to a source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The bride is based in Ho Chi Minh City, while her spouse lives in Ca Mau.

As per traditional Vietnamese wedding rituals, a groom has to come to the house of the bride’s parents to seek their approval to get her to his home to complete their marriage.

The ritual ‘getting the bride’ journey is normally done by car, but the long distance from Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau encouraged the newlyweds, whose names are not disclosed, to book a charter flight instead.

The Vietnam Airlines fight VN-B237 left the southern metropolis at 9:15 am and landed at 10:00 am. It returned to Ho Chi Minh City without passengers at 11:30 am.

The charter flight was launched by Vietnam Airlines and its subsidiary, Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), and this is not the first time it has been used in a wedding.

Another couple is also slated to use the service for the same Ho Chi Minh City – Ca Mau route in the near future, according to an airline source.

Tickets for the Ho Chi Minh City – Ca Mau commercial service sell at VND1.45 million (US$65) per passenger for a one-way trip, excluding fees and taxes.

But the charter flight costs a lot more, some VND200 million ($8,930), as the airline has to account for the return flight, normally without passengers, the same source said.

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