French couple embrace Mekong Delta life during 2-month stay with in-laws

Every day at 5 p.m., when the sun went down, Cavaille and his daughter-in-law’s father Vo Tran Tien would head to the Hau River to swim. The tall and fair-skinned man and the slight and sun-browned man would soak together in the river’s murky, silt-laden waters.

Videos recorded by Vo Vy, 32, showing her French parents-in-law swimming in the river, gardening, and making banh xeo have attracted millions of views on social media

Cavaille, 64, and his wife Martine, 63, arrived in early February to visit their daughter-in-law’s family in what was their second trip to Vietnam since their son Jason Cavaille married Vy in 2024.

During their previous visit, they stayed for only two days and regretted not having more time to explore the local culture. They had planned to return in 2026 for a week but ended up staying much longer.

Arriving in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on the Lunar New Year eve, Cavaille was struck by the sight of people cleaning their homes, repainting walls and washing fences from morning until night.

He says: “I felt like I was in the middle of a cleaning festival. Everyone greeted me, even though we didn’t know each other.”

Francois’ family poses with his Vietnamese in-laws during Tet in February 2026. Photo courtesy of the family.

Cavaille and Martine soon joined in. Tien says they mostly communicated through gesticulations, but Jean-François imitated everything he did, from digging in the garden to painting the gate.

Meanwhile, Martine swept the yard, cooked in the kitchen and prepared fruit trays for ancestral offerings.

The next day Martine began adapting to local life, accompanying her Vy’s mother Pham Thi Nga to the morning market, buying flowers for Tet and learning how to make banh xeo.

“Cleaning the house and visiting relatives across the river helped us feel the strong sense of family reunion after a year of work,” she says.

As Vy’s family home did not have enough space, the couple stayed in a nearby hotel at night but spent daytime at her house.

My French parents-in-law love Western life

Every morning, Jean-François and Tien would drink coffee together. Meals consist not of Western dishes but simple local food such as boiled vegetables with soy sauce, braised pork with eggs, and fresh fruit. “I even eat fruit with leftover rice like locals do. The flavors are unique, rich, and fresh,” says Cavaille.

In the afternoons Tien would take the couple around the neighborhood by motorbike, and locals would often invite them in for tea. “In France, neighbors usually keep their distance. It’s interesting how everyone here knows each other,” says Jean-François.

Over the following two months the two men maintained routines such as gardening, bathing in the river, singing karaoke, taking afternoon hammock naps, and even teaching each other their languages. After TetCavaille decided to delay his return to France because he had grown so fond of life in the delta.

Jean Francois and his in-law Vo Tran Tien in April 2026. Photo by Vy Vo

Vy said she had often shared videos of daily life in her hometown via a family group chat to keep her in-laws updated. Even so, she was surprised when, during their reunion, her father-in-law embraced her parents and hugged them tearfully.

The two families worked, gardened, and visited neighbors together. “That helped bridge cultural differences. I truly appreciate that my parents-in-law took the time to understand where I come from,” says Vi.

At the end of April, the Cavailles returned to France, and both families were in tears while saying goodbye. But Tien has begun to learn how to send messages in French to Cavaille using translation apps.

The Frenchman says he is now planning to return to Vietnam and even considering splitting his time between the two countries in future. “My son and daughter-in-law live and work in Vietnam. Dong Thap is now a place where a family is waiting for me.”