The love story of Nguyen Thi Minh Tho (from Ben Tre) and Nguyen Ngoc Lam (from Thanh Hoa) is like something out of a fairy tale.

After an accident, Lam became paralyzed from the chest down, with weak hands barely able to grasp heavy objects. He has been in a wheelchair for 21 years and has lost much of his health.

Years ago, while working in District 7 in HCM City, Tho made acquaintance with Lam through social media. By that time, Lam had already been in a wheelchair for 10 years.

“I wrote poetry, and she happened to love poetry too. Through social media, she read my poems and decided to connect me. We messaged back and forth, exchanged poems, and got to know each other,” Lam recounted.

Tho said when they first met, she knew he used a wheelchair but didn’t mind. Her love for poetry prompted her to message Lam, and from casual conversations, they gradually developed feelings for each other.

After a month of online chats, Tho came to see Lam in person. Soon after, once she was certain of her feelings, Tho decided to rent a room right next to Lam’s home to care for him more easily.

“Through our conversations and getting to know each other, I realized that we shared many interests. Lam is a deeply emotional person. Despite his disability and challenges, he remains optimistic, striving to overcome difficulties rather than surrendering to fate. 

“I admire that resilience,” Tho shared on a TV show some days ago.

Knowing that a life with this man would bring difficulties and challenges, she still chose to accept it.

In Tho’s eyes, Ngoc Lam was young and talented. As she didn’t want his career and talents to be limited by his physical condition, she decided to stay by his side, becoming his legs and hands, accompanying him through life.

“I just wanted to care for him, and together we’d work to give him a better life. He’s already endured so much misfortune,” Tho said.

The couple kept their relationship a secret from their families for five years. Only after Minh Tho fulfilled her wish to help her mother renovate their home and Ngoc Lam paid off his debts did they inform their families.

A grand wedding with 50 banquet tables was held, attended by all their relatives and friends.

Mother-in-law’s advice

Tho’s mother, Le Thi Bong, 89, still remembers the day she met her future son-in-law for the first time. Tho had already informed her about his circumstances, appearance, and health, and Bong decided to support her daughter’s choice.

“At first, I felt worried. Initially, I feared my daughter would suffer marrying a man in a wheelchair but seeing how kind he was and how well the two managed their lives, I felt happy,” Bong said.

Over time, the more she interacted with him, the more she grew fond of her son-in-law. She even advised her daughter to love, cherish, and care for her husband without ever giving up.

“My wife sometimes teases her mom, saying, ‘Alright, I’ll leave my husband and come back home to take care of you, okay?’ But Mom said, ‘Poor him, my dear. Stay there and care for your husband; abandoning him would be too cruel,’” Lam said.

Minh Tho confirmed this advice. On the TV show, she playfully asked her mother “Caring for him every day is exhausting; can I find another husband to make things easier, Mom?”

Bong shook her head repeatedly: “No, no. Fate has been set, and leaving him now would be cruel.” Her words brought a joyful smile to her son-in-law’s face.

Lam said he and his mother-in-law get along wonderfully. They share many interests, making their relationship harmonious. He has long considered his mother-in-law like his own mother, and Bong views her son-in-law as family.

Ngoc Lam and Minh Tho live and work in HCM City. Lam teaches and runs an online business, while Minh Tho takes up freelance business to have time to care for her husband.

Tho assists Lam with all personal activities, from eating to bathing. She finds joy in being by his side and caring for him daily. Their life is simple but filled with love.

Thanh Minh