In the summer of 2023 in Oslo, Hau, 28, from Son Tay ward, Hanoi, had just submitted her master’s thesis and decided to try online dating.
While browsing the app, she stopped at the profile of a Norwegian man of Vietnamese descent whose appearance reminded her of “a Korean actor,” and tried to contact him. On the app, a “match” happens when two users express interest by swiping on each other’s profiles.
The woman must then send the first message. If the man does not reply within 24 hours, the connection expires automatically. The first time Hau and Thao connected, Hau sent him a message right away. But he was busy with a work project and did not check his phone, and the connection expired before he could respond.
After realizing he had missed her message, Thao deleted his old dating profile and created a brand-new account just to look for her. A few days later, she was surprised to see Thao’s profile appear again.
Thinking he had ignored her the first time, she did not immediately accept the new connection request. But even after 24 hours, his request was still there. She did not know he had used the app’s paid feature to extend the response time by another 24 hours.
This time, he accepted the connection, and the two quickly arranged their first date.
Nguyen Hai Hau, 28, and Philip Thao, 30, live in Oslo. Photo courtesy of the couple |
Thao still remembers seeing her for the first time on a chilly afternoon, when she arrived in a white sweater, black skirt, and knee-high boots. He was instantly struck by her presence.
“She was the Vietnamese with the best English I had ever met in Norway,” the 30-year-old says.
Hau had graduated as salutatorian in international economics from the Foreign Trade University in Hanoi and got a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at BI Norwegian Business School. To keep the scholarship, she had to be among the top students while also working part-time to support herself. For three years, her life had revolved around the campus, library and work.
She met Thao at a particularly difficult time. As graduation approached, she was struggling to find a job in Norway. Despite her strong academic credentials, competing with local candidates was challenging.
“The rejection emails after interviews made me question myself,” she says.
Thao, who was working as a software developer, became her emotional support. He often cooked food and brought it to her apartment, comforting her after unsuccessful interviews.
Once, exhausted by the long search, she asked him: “What if I can’t find a job and have to return to Vietnam?”
Without hesitation, he replied: “Then I’ll go back with you.”
After more than three months and dozens of applications, Hau received two offers, one from an airline company and one from an energy firm. She chose the latter, pursuing her dream of working in sustainable energy.
 |
Philip Thao proposed to Hau in Cappadocia, Turkey in May 2025. Photo courtesy of the couple |
At the start of their relationship, Hau worried because Thao had never seriously planned on marriage. In Northern Europe, many young couples prefer to live together without formal legal ties. But after a year together, she noticed him talking more about family and even imagining a home with two daughters.
“He often sent me pictures of cute babies and talked about how we would raise children,” she says.
Their bond deepened over time, but Thao says he truly knew she was the one when he once fell ill.
“When I was sick, I didn’t feel like doing anything. She stayed by my side, made ginger tea, applied medicated oil and took care of me so gently. That’s when I realized she was the person I wanted to marry.”
In early 2025, Thao traveled to Vietnam to celebrate Lunar New Year with Hau’s family. During the holiday, he experienced many firsts: celebrating Tetmaking banh chung by hand, wearing an aodaitrying good cha (grilled pork noodles), and learning the Vietnamese custom of raising a glass lower than an older person’s as a sign of respect
After family meals, while others sat chatting, Thao would quietly head to the kitchen to wash dishes, insisting that since everyone else had cooked, it was only fair he helped clean up.
He was also more openly affectionate than Hau had expected, hugging her parents and telling them, “I love you.”
Her mother, Van, said Thao’s sincerity gradually eased the family’s initial concerns about cultural differences and the challenges their daughter might face marrying far from home.
“Seeing how Thao lives and treats others, we trust that our daughter will not suffer any hardship,” she says.
In May 2025, Thao secretly planned a proposal in Cappadocia, Turkey, known for its hot-air balloons.
A taxi took them to a scenic viewpoint overlooking the valley before dawn. As the sun rose and hundreds of balloons floated into the sky, Thao knelt and pulled out a ring. At that moment, the taxi “driver” whipped out a professional camera and began taking photos.
The entire thing had been set up in advance!
“With the sunrise and all the balloons behind us, I could only stand there crying,” Hau says.
She was so overwhelmed that she forgot to say yes. So at their wedding in March 2026, Thao knelt and proposed again, this time in front of cheering family and friends. Thao compares their relationship to “Crash Landing on You.”
Before moving abroad, Hau had not even known where Norway was on a map. She applied for the scholarship only after reading a friend’s article about life there.
“It feels like fate arranged everything,” he says. “She unexpectedly crash-landed into my life.”
Comments are closed.