The bride's family canceled the wedding but refused to pay the 1.3 billion VND dowry.

The story happened in Zhengzhou ( Henan , China) causing fierce debate in the online community.

That day, Mr. Ly happily went with his relatives to his girlfriend, Mr. Vuong, to talk about marriage. He was very happy to be warmly welcomed by his girlfriend's family, Sohu reported.

However, when he mentioned the dowry, his girlfriend's mother demanded 380,000 yuan (nearly 1.3 billion VND) to agree to marry her daughter. She thought that the amount of money would prove the sincerity of her future son-in-law.

The bride's family's request for a large dowry left Mr. Ly helpless, but in the end, he accepted the bride's family's request and did not give up on his love. The next day, he and his girlfriend went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register their marriage.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but a day before the wedding, someone revealed that the nearly 1.3 billion VND dowry that Mr. Ly gave to the bride's family was money he borrowed online. This news made his future mother-in-law extremely angry. She thought that what he did was disrespectful to her family and her daughter.

The bride's family did not pay the dowry of nearly 1.3 billion VND, leaving the groom's family stunned.

Ms. Vuong also did not accept this and requested to cancel the engagement immediately. Because she thought that if Mr. Ly had to borrow money like that, when she became his wife, she would have to work hard to earn money to pay off the debt. What was even more unreasonable was that the bride's family had no intention of returning the dowry.

A huge argument broke out right in front of Ms. Vuong’s house. The wedding could not take place, but whether the dowry money could be recovered was still a big question.

This incident has caused a stir in the online community. Many people believe that the bride’s family demanding such a large dowry is no different than selling their daughter to someone else’s family.

"For Mr. Ly and Ms. Vuong, this story will be a valuable lesson for them. And it is also an opportunity for them to re-evaluate their feelings. A marriage based on money will hardly be happy," one person commented.

New Chinese law allows groom's family to reclaim dowry

Bride price (or dowry) is very common in China. It is a sum of money or gifts in kind such as jewelry, a car, or a house that the groom must give to the bride's family before taking her home.

However, this custom is becoming distorted, as "bride prices" have skyrocketed in recent years. Excessively high dowry is also one of the causes of conflicts and broken marriages, especially in rural areas.

Therefore, on December 11, 2023, the Supreme Court of China issued a draft regulation on bride price disputes, which clearly states the cases in which the dowry must be returned to the groom, as well as the factors that determine the amount to be returned.

Hundreds of thousands of disputes over dowry money across the country have forced China to enact specific laws to address the issue. Illustrative photo

"The new judicial interpretation is not only more flexible, but also more scientific and appropriate," Ye Mingyi, a professor at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics specializing in family law, told Sixth Tone.

According to new documents, Chinese courts should not only focus on whether a couple is legally married when resolving disputes, but also take a more comprehensive assessment of the amount of dowry, the length of their marriage, how the dowry was used, and whether they have children.

Currently, the court will support the request to return the dowry when one of three conditions is met: the marriage has not been registered; the marriage has been registered but not lived together; or the dowry "causes difficulties" for the groom's life.

Mr. Ye said the current court solution was too simple and unreasonable, because real-life couples can live together for many years without registering their marriage, while many registered couples only live together for a short time.

Another challenge in resolving bride price disputes is that different regions have their own customs and practices.

Research into bride price disputes in 2022 found that bride prices in China are typically 3-10 times the annual income of the bridegroom.

On China Judgments Online, an official database of court rulings, there are more than 140,000 cases involving disputes over the return of bride price money.

As China's marriage rate falls to a record low, the government is looking for ways to ease the financial burden of marriage.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/nha-gai-huy-hon-nhung-quyet-khong-tra-13-ty-dong-tien-sinh-le-nha-trai-da-dua-172240612123648207.htm