A Vietnamese son-in-law's popular rice paper stall in Thailand

The clip of the groom’s rice paper stall in Thailand bustling with customers waiting to buy has attracted hundreds of thousands of views and interactions on social networks. He also taught Vietnamese to his wife’s family to help them feel less lonely in a foreign land.

SPECIAL WEDDING

In 2018, Ms. Winnisa Sodwilai (usually called Nan, 31 years old, from Surat Thani, Thailand) came to Phu Quoc ( Kien Giang ) to work as an employee at a spa. While going to the gym, she "discovered" a guy named Le Dinh Duy from the pearl island looking at her and approached to get to know him. Impressed by the friendly, kind guy, she agreed to be friends and the two quickly became a couple.

Quầy bánh tráng nướng đắt khách của chàng rể Việt tại Thái Lan- Ảnh 1. — The bustling banh trang nuong stall of a Vietnamese husband and Thai wife in Thailand

In March 2020, Nan had to return to Thailand due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Exactly one year later, Duy asked his parents' permission to go to Thailand to find Nan and was determined to marry her before returning. At a time when the economy was in difficulty, he borrowed more money from acquaintances to have enough 60 million VND to buy a plane ticket, pay for quarantine and Covid-19 testing as required for entry into the land of golden pagodas.

He said that at first, Nan objected because it was expensive for him to go to Thailand at this time, and it was not certain that his mother would agree to let them date. The success rate was not high, but he still decided to do it. After 14 days of quarantine, his girlfriend came to Bangkok to pick him up and take him home.

When the opportunity came, he worked hard, helped people, learned Thai to communicate and made YouTube videos about new things here to earn more income. Gradually, Nan's mother agreed to let the two register their marriage. His parents in Phu Quoc also loved Nan very much, so they supported their son enthusiastically. In January 2022, the wedding took place with the bride's family and relatives as witnesses.

"The custom in Thailand is that the wedding must have a lot of gifts. But my wife's family knew that my family in Vietnam was not well off, so each person lent me a little gold to put in the dowry box for me to carry, and returned it after the wedding. I only bought a pair of wedding rings and paid for the party. At the end of January, I took my wife back to Vietnam to celebrate Tet. My parents hugged the two of us and cried because I went alone and the two of us came back," he emotionally recalled.

THAI PEOPLE ARE CRAZY ABOUT GRILLED RICE PAPER

Being a YouTuber and fond of traveling, he decided to stay in his wife's hometown to start a business. The two started a spring roll stall in Bangkok, but the number of customers was not as high as expected, so he and his wife returned to Surat Thani. Seeing the variety of snacks here, he thought that to be successful, he had to do something different, so he ordered rice paper from Da Lat to learn how to make grilled rice paper.

5 months ago, he showed off his talent and invited his wife's family to try the food. Everyone praised it and encouraged him to open a business. The first stall in the school cafeteria was crowded with customers, so he handed it over to his mother-in-law, and he and his wife went to the market to open another stall. The stall impressed local customers with the owner's traditional Vietnamese outfit and conical hat.

Quầy bánh tráng nướng đắt khách của chàng rể Việt tại Thái Lan- Ảnh 2. — About 3 minutes to finish a hot and crispy grilled rice paper cake

"The price here is about 21,000 - 28,000 VND/piece, which is not expensive compared to the price of snacks in Thailand. I only sell for about 2-3 hours and then it's all sold out. Customers of all ages and professions wait to buy. Sometimes customers have to wait more than half an hour for their turn. Selling Vietnamese food in a strange place and receiving support from many people, I feel very happy and proud," he said.

Nan also said her husband is a YouTuber, but since opening the rice paper stall, the clips are mainly filmed right at the stall. When she was still in Vietnam, she found this dish very strange, different from snacks in Thailand, with a slightly spicy, hot and crispy taste. "He taught me, my mother, my grandmother, and everyone around him Vietnamese. Sometimes, he cooks Vietnamese dishes for the family, and everyone loves them. When we have children, we will teach them both Vietnamese and Thai," she shared.

Ms. Klairung (49 years old, Duy's mother-in-law) commented that since having a Vietnamese son-in-law, the family has always been filled with laughter, especially when the whole family can speak Vietnamese together. "Vietnamese food is very delicious, we all like it and love every dish," she said.