Oanh, 33, and her American ex-husband, Jack Cole, first met each other in 2017. After two years of dating, they married in HCMC in late-2019.
Oanh gave birth to their first child, Max, in Vietnam in August 2020 while Cole was in Singapore. She brought Max to Singapore to reunite with Cole and the new family stayed in the country together for 16 months.
Oanh then brought Max back to Vietnam in late-2021, while Cole returned to the U.S., sparking rumors about conflicts between the husband-and-wife. The couple eventually confirmed that they had completed their divorce in April 2022.
Oanh confesses that she tended to blame everything on herself after her divorce. She even thought she would never be able to overcome that painful event. Fortunately, love from her family helped her recover.
Oanh considers her family a traditional one, and she’s the first member to go through a divorce. Still, her parents always support her.
She says she is grateful for her family as they have helped her heal the wounds caused by her split with Cole. If not for her parents, Oanh says, Max would have a far harder time finding the support he needs.
She says spending time with Max has helped her overcome the divorce.
“I take him to school every day. If I don’t have to work in the evening, I will help him take a bath, feed him, and tell him bedtime stories,” she says.
“Our life is filled with peace like that. I’m happy now that I have a child and a friend with me.”
Oanh says her son is a warm and considerate boy. There was one time when he saw Oanh ask her mother to help her turn on the air-conditioner. Despite being across the room, the boy immediately stood up, ran towards his mother, and turned on a fan for her.
When she’s feeling unwell, Max often checks up on her and tells her to drink more water.
“Max is an energetic but understanding boy…he can talk to anyone and both my family and Cole’s family treat him with love.”
Oanh took Max to the U.S. to visit Cole’s parents after this year’s Tet Lunar New Year holiday.
She says that since having Max, she has become more patient and tolerant. The instinct of a mother helped her move on from painful memories and keep in good contact with Cole so Max can be surrounded with love from both sides.
Oanh often hangs out with her friends during her free time and her parents volunteer to babysit Max.
Her work life is now back to normal. She says she is grateful for receiving a lot of love calls after coming back to Vietnam from Singapore, which helped her to achieve financial independence and the ability to support herself and her son after the divorce.
She says she finds life refreshing after divorce.
“I have become more mature, more open-minded, and more willing to spread positive values to others based on my personal experience,” she says.
“I realized that love is in the air. As long as I still trust in that and treat others with genuine kindness, I will eventually overcome hardships.”
