The love story of 1.98 m husband and 1.53 m wife

Until the man stood up, revealing his "giant" height of 1.98m. Ngoc, who was only 1.53m, said that she "immediately fell" for him.

But because she was shy, she only dared to look at him from afar. So, her best friend who was with her at the time, ran over to ask for his phone number.

The two girls then found the boy's social media account and learned that his name was Trinh Minh Hai, born in 1991, a physical education teacher at the Vietnam National University in HCMC.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Hai found himself attracted to Ngoc's smile. "Even though she was small, that smile made her shine everywhere."

He spent half a day searching for information about Ngoc by peeking through her best friend’s social media – Ngoc at that time was doing a master’s degree in psychology and rarely used social media.

"Hello, we met at a coffee shop, can we be friends?" said Hai’s first message to Ngoc. They arranged to meet a few days later.

The 45 cm height disparity between Trinh Minh Hai and Vo Bao Ngoc adds a charming dimension to their love story. Photo courtesy of Hai and Ngoc

"Where have you been all my life?" they both said after getting to know each other during their first conversation.

The boy from the central province of Thanh Hoa was attracted to Ngoc because she was smart and easy to laugh with, while the girl was impressed by how mature Hai was – she felt he was a responsible man that could "carry the whole world" on his shoulders.

They lived 30 km apart, but Hai still stopped by Ngoc’s house every day to chat.

When they cross the street together, Hai blocks traffic so Ngoc feels secure by his side. He also reaches out to cover her head when it rains to protect her hair from getting wet.

Being next to him, Ngoc always feel secure, As for Hai, he likes it when Ngoc treats him like a normal person and does not put him on a pedestal because of his height the way some people treat his size as though he were an oddity.

Over time, both of them felt a special connection, and love began to bloom.

On the street out in public, they’re always the center of attention.

On their first New Year's Eve together, they both went to Nguyen Hue walking street to watch fireworks. In the middle of the giant crowd packed in to watch the show, Hai stood out like a flagpole, with everyone looking at him curiously.

People grabbed at him and asked about his height and wanted to take photos of him, making Ngoc feel like a third wheel next to a strange celebrity.

At first, the girl felt self-conscious walking next to her lover, often stepping back to let Hai go first. But he always stopped and pulled her hand up to go with him. Not only did he not see any problem in their differences, but he in fact liked the gap in their height.

"I like her being small. I like going out with my lover, I don’t care how others look at us," Hai said.

On the first day of meeting Hai’s family, Ngoc was once again surprised by the height of his family members. His father and brother are both over 1.85m. She couldn't reach most of the household items such as the shower and kitchen cabinets.

And at that first meeting, Hai's parents asked about their wedding date.

"Later I learned that the custom in his hometown is that when you bring your girlfriend home, it means you’re getting married," Ngoc said.

The 45cm gap also made the couple's wedding photos an unforgettable memory. According to Ngoc, the whole crew had a hard time arranging to put the bride and groom's faces in the same frame while still maintaining a balanced composition.

Either Hai had to kneel or spread his legs to be in the same picture as his lover. There were a few times when Ngoc had to climb up on top of something to be at the same height.

At the wedding held in April 2019, droves of villagers showed up at Ngoc's house to she the man they’d heard was 2 meters tall. Many said they’d never seen someone so tall in all their lives.

Hai and Ngoc’s wedding in August 2019. Photo courtesy of Hai and Ngoc

Because of his height, Hai repeatedly bumped his head against the doors at Ngoc’s family home. Not long after, when he returned to visit his family, he was surprised to see that the doors were higher. It turned out that Ngoc's parents had demolished the old doors and made a new one higher so that their son-in-law could easily move into the house. As for Hai's family in Thanh Hoa, family’s shower head was now lowered for Ngoc to use.

Now living in the same house, Hai also had to remove all the old furniture to better suit his wife's height. From the kitchen cabinets and stove to the sink, Hai lowered them to fit Ngoc's reach. Every time he cooks or washes dishes, Hai has to stand with his legs spread apart or bow very low to avoid hitting his head on the cupboard.

"Sometimes looking at him makes me feel sad and funny, but then I love my husband even more because he always saves the best for me," Ngoc said.

Not only are they different in height, but their personalities are also somewhat opposite. While Ngoc is quite lively and active, Hai is quiet and introverted. However, the husband always tries to yield to his wife. Every time Ngoc gets angry, he calms down or goes out for a while to wait for her anger to subside before returning to continue talking.

Hai also always prioritizes things his wife likes. Knowing that she likes street snacks, Hai uses his free time to buy ingredients so he can make them at home. Every day, Hai researches new cooking recipes and nourishes his wife to have the best health.

Seeing that Ngoc is too lazy to exercise, Hai often invites his wife to try different sports so she can find her favorite. Thanks to her husband's care, from a girl who often got sick and weighed less than 40 kg, Ngoc is now healthier with a weight that fits her height.

Inside the couple's Ho Chi Minh City home, furnishings are tailored to Ngoc's height. Photo courtesy of Hai and Ngoc

After five years of marriage, they both now want the presence of kids in their home. However, Hai said that if he wanted a child, Ngoc would be the one to suffer more, so he hasn’t urged it, but wants her to decide for herself.

As for Ngoc, as the family raconteur, she is always the one who creates joy for her husband. Their meals are filled with laughter because of her funny stories. Recently, the couple have shared their married life on social networks under the tag "high husband, low wife" with the hope of preserving many beautiful memories. But they’ve been surprised with the number of followers who seem to love all their stories.

In their videos, both Ngoc and Hai show that the height difference is not necessarily an inconvenience, the important thing is that each person knows how to adjust and change to better suit the other half.

"Sometimes I think the gap is quite amazing. How can you get those special hugs or kisses if you are of equal height," Ngoc said.