Vietnamese girl hunts for PhD scholarship because of promise to American guy

When Chance Clark hugged Anh Phuong goodbye to leave Vietnam, he thought their love would end, but she said, "I'll come to America to see you in a year."

Hanoi girl Vu Anh Phuong fulfilled her promise after 6 months. When Chance held her hand at the Chicago airport, they officially became lovers. "The moment our hands touched, I knew my heart belonged to him," said Anh Phuong, 27 years old, living and working in Indiana (USA).

Chance and Anh Phuong first met in Hanoi in 2018. Photo: Vu Anh Phuong

Anh Phuong and Chance Clark met in 2018 when he was studying Plant Genetics at Purdue University (Indiana) and went to Vietnam with 17 others on a student exchange program.

Vu Anh Phuong, a third-year student and head of the English Club at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture in Hanoi, and several other members were tasked with welcoming the group. They divided the American students into two groups to guide them. That day, Anh Phuong pointed to the group where Chance Clark was standing and said loudly, "I will lead this group because there are more handsome guys!" Everyone burst out laughing, breaking the distance of their first meeting.

While leading the group, Anh Phuong took the initiative to talk to the American students, raising her hand to explain further if the teacher's answer did not match the foreign students' questions. "She was confident, interesting and beautiful. I appreciated Vietnamese women through the way she expressed herself," Chance Clark recalled of the first days they met.

The American student also had an impressive smile for Anh Phuong. Throughout the journey to discover Vietnamese culture, he showed curiosity and interest. "On the bus, everyone slept, but he always looked out the window, watching and asking questions," Anh Phuong said. When listening to Vietnamese experts and farmers sharing about agriculture, most American students found it difficult to understand and indifferent, but Chance took out a pen and paper to take notes and asked again when he didn't understand.

He asked to be friends with the Vietnamese girl on social media and took the initiative to text her. By the fourth day in Vietnam, they were hanging out every night. Chance and Anh Phuong both felt their hearts flutter, but he always told her: "I really like you, but America and Vietnam are too far apart, we can't love each other."

On the day he returned home, Chance Clark told the girl, "I'm sorry we couldn't be together," then hugged Anh Phuong tightly. She told the boy to wait for her for a year because she had clearly seen the path she was about to take.

In fact, Anh Phuong had planned to apply for a scholarship to study abroad in the US. From a student with poor English, she worked hard to become the head of the school's English club. She won the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) scholarship from the US State Department and many other full scholarships to go to the US, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan.

However, Anh Phuong still could not decide which school or state in the US to apply to. Chance Clark's presence helped the Vietnamese girl know that she needed to do her thesis and university graduation report in the US, then apply for a doctoral scholarship to stay here as long as possible.

"During the 6 months we were apart, we texted and called each other non-stop. Every second, every minute, I just wished I could hold his hand. That was the motivation for me to try harder every day," Anh Phuong said.

Ms. Ngo Thi Tung Thanh, Anh Phuong's mother, said that before her daughter had not yet determined her goals, she often criticized her for "waiting until the last minute to jump". But once she knew what to do, Anh Phuong threw herself into studying and made rapid progress. "Many times when I saw my daughter staying up late to study, I had to tell her that she had to share the burden and not take it all on at once, for fear of it being too much," she said.

The day she arrived in her boyfriend’s hometown to do her thesis, he picked her up at the Chicago airport. During her 5 months in the US, Anh Phuong woke up at 7am to work on her thesis until the afternoon, tried to eat quickly to learn English, and studied for the GRE certificate (a test for graduate school entrance requirements in natural sciences and social sciences). She usually slept after 2am.

Living close to each other, Chance rarely texted or called Anh Phuong so she could focus on her studies, but her lover was angry with him. She thought he didn't care about her like before so she wanted to break up. Chance had to drive 14 hours round trip to bring a bouquet of flowers to make up with his lover.

"Now that we're in America, if I need anything, I'll come see you in person. Why waste time on the phone or social media?" he explained. After only being with Anh Phuong for 5 hours, Chance hurriedly drove back to be at school the next day.

When Anh Phuong successfully defended her thesis in the US and returned to Vietnam, Chance spent $5,000 from his scholarship to buy a diamond ring to propose to his girlfriend. "I believe she is the missing piece of my life," he said.

Chance and Anh Phuong at a friend's wedding. Photo: Vu Anh Phuong

Back home, Anh Phuong continued to apply for a PhD in the US. She applied to the same major, same school as her fiancé, and four nearby schools. In April 2019, Anh Phuong received invitations to do a PhD at neighboring schools. The last letter came from Purdue University. She was overwhelmed with happiness and immediately informed Chance.

"Many people say Asian women marry Americans to get green cards, but I proved to them that I came here through my own efforts and abilities," Anh Phuong said.

In November 2019, the young couple became husband and wife when Anh Phuong was 23 years old and Chance turned 22. "Since we fell in love, I told Chance that I would only be close to and live with whoever was my husband. He respected me very much and that's why I believe he truly loved me," she said.

However, because they lived together after getting married, their first year of marriage was full of ups and downs. Mr. Phuong sometimes jokingly told her husband, "You've gotten fatter lately!" or "Your face has so many wrinkles lately." The American guy considered this as an insult to his appearance and was very upset.

As for Anh Phuong, when she cooks Vietnamese dishes for her husband, he often asks "Did I put in the right ingredients?", "Is there anything wrong?", making her feel distrusted.

He often banged his hand on the table when he was angry, while Anh Phuong was used to repeatedly blaming each other. The anger gradually accumulated and caused conflict between the two. One time, Anh Phuong cooked pho, and Chance wondered, "Are you sure you're doing this?". Annoyed, she raised her voice, "Maybe I married you too soon!". The husband was shocked and smashed the glass of water on the floor.

"I just wanted to say that we should get married when we don't fully understand each other, but he thought I meant that we should marry someone else, not him," the Vietnamese girl said. She went to the living room to sleep, but that night, they both stayed awake.

In the morning, Chance gave his wife an apology letter, promising to be calmer. Phuong also realized the cultural differences and the way she spoke caused misunderstandings. They sat down to talk to each other, agreeing to be frank about their feelings, express them clearly, and for the other person to listen.

Vu Anh Phuong wears traditional Vietnamese ao dai, holds the national flag and takes a photo in front of the US Capitol building. Photo provided by the character

In 2022, the US is facing a severe labor shortage, and Anh Phuong's industry will receive a 40% salary increase. Knowing this is a rare opportunity, she put her studies on hold to work at a leading biotechnology company, a 10-minute drive from home.

Every day, Chance takes his wife to work, then to school. At 27, he is about to get his PhD, has 8 scientific papers, an achievement few people in the US can achieve. The guy values ​​loyalty and always shares all the housework with his wife.

"He is not only my ideal partner but also my idol. After all the efforts, this family and this job are truly fulfilling for me," Anh Phuong said with a smile. Although she has been married to an American for four years, Anh Phuong has not changed her nationality. She wants her child to know that her mother is "100% Vietnamese and her child is the crystallization of Vietnamese and American blood.

Vnexpress.net