The story of a poor girl who married the grandson of King Thanh Thai

Living in a miserable life, but when she "discovered" that she was the granddaughter-in-law of King Thanh Thai, a former emperor, from a family of illustrious background, she not only was not sad but also used that as motivation to rise up.

Coming to Hue for the first time with everyone's love, mother and son believe they will soon overcome the hardships of life - Photo: Dinh Toan

That is Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy (45 years old), from Can Tho , the wife of Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Bao Tai (52 years old), grandson of former Emperor Thanh Thai, currently living in An Lac A Ward, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Born into a poor family with many siblings in the land of white rice and clear water, Bich Thuy stopped going to school very early.

Independence was formed since Thuy was little, especially when her parents passed away. Growing up, this girl from the West sold lottery tickets, then helped sell rice at a restaurant on Phan Dinh Phung Street, Can Tho City to help raise her younger siblings.

VIDEO : King Thanh Thai's grandson returns for the first time to attend his grandfather's death anniversary

With the sponsorship of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, in the last days of March 2016, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Bao Tai's small family was able to visit The Mieu (Hue Imperial City) - the place to worship 13 kings of the Nguyen Dynasty - Photo: Dinh Toan

This is also where she met motorbike taxi driver Nguyen Phuoc Bao Tai.


	He also hid it, after Tuyen was born, he told me that he was the grandson of King Thanh Thai, and that his father was a prince. At first, I was surprised. I was the king's granddaughter-in-law, it sounded like something out of a movie, but then the truth was the truth. Right in front of me was food, clothing, money, medicine, and treatment for my child. I didn't think much about it.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy

“I come from a poor family, and so does he. He often drives customers to and from the shop, so we often meet and… hit it off. We didn’t know when we fell in love” – Mrs. Thuy said shyly.

In 2004, they got married in a simple but warm wedding ceremony. The husband drove a motorbike taxi, the wife worked as a hired hand to make ends meet. In 2005, the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet visited Prince Vinh Giu, and from then on, the secret curtain about the identity of the prince who drove a motorbike taxi every day and the Nguyen Dynasty prince who lived a private and humble life in Tay Do was lifted.

Mr. Bao Tai was surprised and stunned by his "royal" status.

“When I was in secondary school, I also learned about two patriotic kings, Duy Tan and Thanh Thai, but I never expected that… they were my grandfathers,” Mr. Bao Tai recalls.

Mrs. Thuy laughed and said: “He also hid it. After Tuyen was born, he told me that he was the grandson of King Thanh Thai and that his father was a prince. At first, I was very surprised. I am the king's granddaughter-in-law. It sounds like a movie, but the truth is the truth. Right now, I have to earn a living and pay for medicine to treat my child. I didn't think much about it.”

The belief and reason for living of the former Emperor Thanh Thai's granddaughter-in-law is her sick daughter - Princess Thanh Tuyen - Photo: Dinh Toan

The already difficult family situation became even more difficult when in 2006, Thanh Tuyen was born weighing less than 1 kg and suffering from an incurable disease. Bell's palsy caused Mr. Bao Tai and his wife to work as hired laborers and motorbike taxi drivers all day long just to try to find a cure for their beloved daughter so she could stand on her own two feet.

Due to her difficult family circumstances, nearly 10 years after the death of her father-in-law, Prince Vinh Giu, daughter-in-law Bich Thuy was able to return to Hue to visit his mausoleum - Photo: Dinh Toan

To access more effective treatment methods, Mr. Tai and his wife moved to Ho Chi Minh City to rent a room. They worked as hired laborers and drove motorbike taxis to earn money to treat their daughter.

A rare reunion between Mr. Bao Tai's family and Prince Guy Georges Vinh San (son of King Duy Tan, also known as Nguyen Phuc Bao Ngoc) - Photo: Dinh Toan

When we “quietly asked” Mrs. Thuy if the family tradition and discipline of a bride in the royal family made her feel uneasy, she said that she only felt a little proud and did not think much about it. Because the past has passed, the golden age is now the present, before them is a long and difficult future…

“In addition to driving a motorbike taxi and working outside, when he comes home, Mr. Tai does the laundry, cooks, and loves his wife and children very much. These past few days have been days when we have lived in the love of everyone. My family has been able to visit his paternal grandparents, attend his grandfather’s death anniversary, visit his father’s grave, visit the Hue Imperial City, and visit relatives… I wish that one day soon I can cook Hue beef noodle soup and Hue cakes to treat my husband and children to a meal, and later I will sell Hue dishes to earn money to treat my grandchild’s illness,” Mrs. Thuy confided with a smile.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-co-gai-ngheo-lam-vo-chau-noi-vua-thanh-thai-185548983.htm