Twenty couples, who are doctors and nurses at Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City, tied the knot on Sunday in a collective wedding after a months-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On seeing young health workers who devoted their youth and happiness for the sake of community safety in the fight against the coronavirus, Tran Quoc Viet, deputy director of Military Hospital 175, was so grateful that he decided to hold the special wedding ceremony to pay tribute to and compensate the couples for their sacrifice.

Fashion designer Minh Hanh, director of the Vietnam Fashion Design Institute (FADIN), co-organized the wedding ceremony.

“An apology to you all is not enough,” Minh Hanh said, referring to the enormous contribution of medical staff to the fight against the virus.

"Given all the hardships that the doctors and nurses have experienced, I call you all heroes."

“As they all try hard, so do we.

"Every individual needs to take more practical action, think, and work more responsibly for a safer society.”

The pandemic had scuppered all the medical workers' wedding plans after a fourth virus wave erupted in Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, in April last year.

The country has switched to living safely with the pathogen since October this year.

One-of-a-kind wedding

Couples earlier attended a pre-wedding shoot which was set up on the hospital rooftop, bubbling with excitement for their upcoming special day.

Tran Van An and Bui Thi Hoai Thu, who have developed their loving relationship during their time working at Vietnam's first field hospital in South Sudan, finally realized their wedding plans after a period of suspension.

“We came back home after two years and decided to tie the knot, although our son has turned one,” An said.

“From the guest list to the restaurant and the wedding rings, everything was so ready yet had to be canceled due to the onset of the coronavirus,” he recalled.

Up until August last year, they once again planned to have a wedding ceremony. However, the pandemic hit its complicated phase and he got infected and did ‘camp’ at the hospital for months.

“I was so nervous when hearing of the news,” Thu said.

Amidst the pandemic, their love was expressed via screens and the lunch boxes that Thu prepared for her husband.

Tran Thi Thuy Hang, a nurse at Military Hospital 175, appeared in a gorgeous wedding dress at the photo session.

She was touched when her dream came true.

During her fight against the epidemic, Hang always received encouragement from both her family and her fiancé.

“After the epidemic scaled back, my fiancé and his family revealed that they were all infected by the virus, which dumbfounded me,” Hang emotionally recounted.

Whenever thinking of the challenging time when she could not take good care of her family, Hang bursts into tears.

After ups and downs, especially loss and challenges during the pandemic, Hang and her partner decided to get married earlier than planned.

‘I love everything about you’

Le Thi Huynh Nhu and her husband Huynh Tan Luc fell in love at first sight on a summer volunteer trip 10 years ago.

Their plan for a wedding in October last year was put on hold since Nhu was collecting COVID-19 test samples amidst a surge in the number of infections.

“We heard our voices via quick phone calls, or we stood looking at each other over a fence at the hospital, which was somewhat lucky for us during that harsh time,” Nhu recalled.

“Normally, we would see each other once every couple of days, but the virus suddenly messed everything up,” Luc shared.

“I gave her supplemented foods and nutrients. I sent her loving care and health reminders. Those moments were all saved back to our memory tape.

"I love everything about her and I really respect what she has been doing."

Witnessing Nhu in a beautiful wedding gown during the photoshoot, Tran Thi Kim Thu, Nhu’s mother-in-law, could not hide her emotion when she recalled her special date 40 years ago in wartime.

"I always encourage them to stay focused on their duties, as I see myself in them," Thu emphasized.

“We then fought against the enemies, my children now fight against the epidemic.”

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