Let's talk about the wedding! How many times is this now... lol

When someone asks me, "What are your hobbies?", I attend so many that I could honestly answer, "Going to Vietnamese weddings!" My family (especially my husband) has now attended Vietnamese weddings more than 30 times by this point, lol. I cherish everyone's smiles, and the space and time filled with the taste of happiness. Especially the weddings held out in the local areas, far from our home in Ho Chi Minh City — they're heartwarming and so full of warmth. The everyday and the extraordinary coexist right next to each other. I truly savor the joy of being able to attend. Weddings in Vietnam involve large numbers of people, but they are basically by invitation only. You receive a formal invitation from people you're connected with through friends, acquaintances, work, and so on.

But the timing and the way things are done vary by region, so while there's something like an orthodox standard format, the little details differ. There are all sorts of things even Vietnamese people don't know when you ask them. That's exactly why it's fun! Celebrating together with Vietnamese people, and even without fully understanding, doing my best to offer words and courtesy in my own way. This time, it's the wedding of a staff member at my husband's company. I'll be attending twice — once for the wedding at the bride's family home, and once for the wedding at a reception venue near the groom's family home. And get this — we head in the day before. We take a train departing at 9 p.m., arrive at a local hotel in the middle of the night, and go to sleep. Because they said they'd come to pick us up at 7 a.m.! From a little past 5 a.m., the whole hotel was buzzing with the voices of people getting ready. Amazingly, the ceremony starts at 8 — in the morning, mind you, 8 a.m.! Even when I asked Vietnamese people, they laughed and said this is unusual... or rather, that's super early~!

Yes, as we headed to the venue while getting ready, there — waiting on standby — were the people in charge of carrying the celebratory gifts (in odd numbers: 5, 7, 11, and up) to be delivered to the bride's family home (7 friends of the groom), all changed into formal attire. Cake, fruit, rice, sake... and so on. In Japanese terms, I suppose it would be the equivalent of the betrothal gift exchange (yuinō)? Honestly, even this I'm not really sure about... The gifts are carried into the bride's family home and arranged on something like an altar, and then the wedding ceremony (a public one) is held. Until everything is ready, the preparations are made quite a way in front of the house. The neighbors go about their comings and goings as usual. People heading out on motorbikes or off to work in the fields. And then, when the time comes, led by the groom's parents come the young people bearing the celebratory gifts, followed by the rest of the guests in the procession.

Not too solemn, but also — do we go crashing merrily into the bride's house? It's not about being casual; it's the feeling of being invited with a heartfelt "Congratulations!

A tent has been set up in front of the house, with tables, dishes, and the ceremony all fully prepared. (I wonder what time they started getting ready?) Before entering the venue, just like the parting of the Red Sea by Moses—no, like the flower-lined path at a graduation ceremony—the well-wishers line up on both sides and greet you with smiles. It's brimming with a happy aura. In Japan, there's always a set procedure—next comes this, then this—and it feels like there are so many rules meant to avoid bad luck. But in Vietnam, it's all so wonderfully easygoing and open. Even including the various little mishaps that happen during the ceremony, the vibe is "It's fine, it's fine, no worries, no worries~," and everything just rounds itself out smoothly with the momentum. Immigrant Life Ranking