Da Nang Overcoming language barriers and cultural differences, Nguyen Anh, an electrician from Vinh Long, and Nga Nastya got married after 8 months of knowing each other.
In early November 2025, Tran Nguyen Anh, 28 years old, an electrician for a construction company in Ho Chi Minh City, was assigned to a project about 30 km from the center of Nha Trang. Sad because he was in a strange place, Nguyen Anh opened a dating app to find someone to chat with.
He connected with Nikitina Anastasiia (nickname Nastya, 27 years old), a girl from Moscow who was traveling in Vietnam. They fumbled to find ways to converse with each other in English through the translation tool. A few days later, the two decided to meet.
"I like his appearance, even though Nguyen Anh is not very tall," Nastya said.
The Russian girl said she had sympathy for the Vietnamese guy from the first time they met. But Nguyen Anh does not consider her an object of "special concern" because he does not like girls who smoke, have tattoos and piercings. But through conversations, he realized that her inner life was completely different from her thorny exterior.
Both sympathize because they experienced childhood trauma and had to grow up early. One time, while they were walking, they encountered a snake caught in a net on the road. Nguyen Anh advised to stay away for fear of the poisonous animal, but Nastya wanted to rescue it. Nguyen Anh went down the mountain to borrow a knife, took off his shirt, covered the snake's head, cut the net, and brought the animal back to a safe place. "I realized she is an emotional person," Nguyen Anh said. From that day on, he felt his feelings for her begin to change.
Whenever he has free time, Nguyen Anh rides his motorbike 30 km from the construction site to the city to take Nastya out. However, he still only sees her as a friend due to his low self-esteem about his appearance with his small figure, dark skin, and his job requiring him to travel a lot. Meanwhile, Nastya is "tall and white like a doll", graduated from university with a major in management in Russia, and has a stable job.
Realizing the other person's feelings, Nastya once asked directly: "Do you like me?". At first, Nguyen Anh was silent, but after many times of questioning, he admitted.
However, Nastya refused. "I don't like people who are unclear and don't dare to express their feelings," she said.
Hearing those words, Nguyen Anh quietly deleted the dating app to cut off contact and find a way to forget the foreign girl. Two days later, because he missed Nastya, he redownloaded the app and received a message: "I'm sick, I want us to meet."
That night, Nguyen Anh bought food and fruits and rode his motorbike from the hill to the city. Going to Nastya's room, he peeled fruit for her and then left. The two officially started dating from then on. "I believe that people will not abandon me when I am sick," Nastya said.
At the end of November 2025, Nha Trang had a major flood. The place where Nguyen Anh worked was isolated, without electricity, water and phone signal for nearly 5 days. Nastya is in the city center so the water recedes faster. Both are worried about the other's safety.
When the water began to recede, Nguyen Anh rode his motorbike to the city to find his lover. Many roads were still flooded by more than a meter. He constantly changed directions, making the travel time twice as long as usual.
Having met, Nastya hugged her boyfriend and cried. "I worry about you and miss you so much," she said. After the flood, the two decided to move in together.
As soon as love blossomed, Nguyen Anh was transferred back to Ho Chi Minh City by the company. When he announced, Nastya replied: "Wherever you go, I will follow you."
After two weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, Nastya wanted to move to Da Nang because it has the beach and many opportunities for job development. Nguyen Anh decided to quit his job to start a new life with his girlfriend.
Many colleagues advised him to think carefully because they were both new to each other, and even suspected he had been deceived. At the same time, Nastya returned to Russia to apply for a single certificate to get married. She told her love story to her family but did not receive consent. "But from what we experienced together, we believe in the choice of the heart," she said.
In early 2026, they moved to Da Nang. The two rented an old house about 20 minutes walk from the beach. The house is moldy, many walls are degraded, but it meets Nastya's desire to live near the sea.
Just in time for the Lunar New Year, the two started repairing the house themselves. Nguyen Anh peeled off all the damaged walls, plastered and repainted them, while Nastya helped her boyfriend with each step even though she had never done heavy work. "Many people around us said it wasn't worth our time to repair the rented house. But if she doesn't feel comfortable, life won't be fun," Nguyen Anh said.
In July 2026, after resolving all the legal paperwork problems, the two got married and opened a Russian bakery. Nastya makes cakes, and Nguyen Anh takes care of importing ingredients and communicating with customers.
Cultural differences and not the same language cause the two to sometimes conflict. Girls look forward to praise and encouragement, while boys like to show affection through actions.
Living together, the two gradually understand and get along. Nguyen Anh learned how to say words of love and posted the English alphabet at the head of her bed to learn foreign languages. Nastya quit smoking, cooked Russian dishes for her husband and guided him through shoulder muscle therapy. She also studies Vietnamese every day.
When Nguyen Anh worried about the future, Nastya encouraged: "Wherever we get stuck, we can fix it there. Just try every day, life will get better."
"My life has completely changed. My husband gives me faith that despite difficulties, when we are together, we can overcome them," Nastya said.
