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On the morning of Oct. 16 he arrived at the bride’s house in Tam Hung Commune in the capital to ask her parents for permission to marry before escorting her to the ceremony.
So far so good. Normal Vietnamese tradition.
Then he found paper and pens, headphones and an English quiz waiting at the door to her room.
"The bride said she would only come with me if I got more than half the answers on her quiz right, and so I was a bit nervous," he says.
The test had five IELTS listening questions, which he could hear only once under the supervision of his wife-to-be and six bridesmaids.
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Groom Nhat Ninh takes the English listening quiz before picking up his bride in Hanoi on the morning of Oct. 16, 2025. Photo courtesy of the couple. |
He listened to the questions she had prepared herself, took notes, and finished the test in about three minutes.
After answering four out of the five questions correctly, he was allowed to greet his in-laws with the bride and take her to the ceremony.
The bride, Quynh Huong, an English teacher, said she came up with the idea four days before the wedding to make the event more memorable.
She said she picked questions from a Cambridge IELTS practice book and spent 15 minutes preparing the audio.
"I told him I had a challenge for him but kept it secret. The quiz was short so that we would not hold up the ceremony or keep the guests waiting."
Nhat Ninh takes an English listening quiz before picking up his bride at her family’s home in Hanoi, on Oct. 16, 2025. Video courtesy of Quynh Huong.
A video of the event went viral on social media, with many praising the idea for being creative and meaningful while allowing the groom to show off his English ability.
Huong said the quiz was meant to create a fun memory, not to cause hassles.
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Nhat Ninh and Quynh Huong at their wedding on Oct. 16, 2025, in Tam Hung Commune, Hanoi. Photo courtesy of the couple. |
The couple, both from Tam Hung Commune, met each other during an art performance in high school. She said she was drawn to Ninh’s calm and thoughtful personality, while he admired her cheerful and energetic nature.
There is a backstory to the test: During their school years she tutored him in English since he struggled with the subject. She taught him pronunciation, grammar and communication.
