Vietnamese daughter-in-law is loved like a daughter by Korean mother-in-law

After three years of marriage and being a daughter-in-law in a foreign land, Huyen always thanks life for giving her the chance to be the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Bong Yul, a mother-in-law who she compares to 'loving her daughter-in-law like her own daughter'.

Le Thi Huyen (30 years old, from Nghe An) met Korean guy Jung Young Ho in 2019 when he came to Vietnam for a vacation. They had similar personalities so they talked often even though they were in different places. They officially started a long-distance relationship after a few months of knowing each other.

During this time, Jung Young Ho often talked about his girlfriend to his mother, Mrs. Bong Yul, in Yangju city. Knowing that her son loved a Vietnamese girl, at first she was very worried about the geographical distance, but after seeing that her children were sincere, she supported them.

"When I had severe pneumonia and had to undergo long-term treatment, my mother often texted me to encourage me. Every day she wished me a speedy recovery so I could go to Korea to hold my wedding," Huyen said.

Seeing Mrs. Bong Yul love her daughter, Huyen's biological mother changed from opposing the marriage to agreeing because she thought "a good mother will surely have a good son".

Le Thi Huyen and her mother-in-law, Mrs. Bong Yul, on their wedding day held in Korea, 2020. Photo: Provided by the character

In August 2020, Huyen and Jung Young Ho registered their marriage, and a few months later the Vietnamese girl went to Korea to hold the wedding ceremony. Being a daughter-in-law in a foreign land, Huyen was initially worried that the language and lifestyle differences could strain the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. But her concerns were dispelled the very first day she stepped into her husband's house.

The day Huyen boarded the plane to Korea, all her husband's family members were waiting to welcome her at the airport from 5am. When she arrived home, the Vietnamese girl's first impression was that her mother-in-law had prepared all her personal items, from shampoo, shower gel, towels to sanitary napkins. "A full cupboard," she recalled.

At that time, the Covid-19 epidemic had just broken out, so Huyen had to quarantine for two weeks. On the days her daughter-in-law could not go out, Bong Yul cooked and drove 20 minutes to bring it over. Each meal was a different dish for Huyen to try. Whatever dish she liked, her mother-in-law would remember to cook next time, and whatever she did not like would be removed from the menu.

"Every day when she brought me food, my mother called me out to the balcony to chat. Besides giving me instructions, she mainly observed my face to see if I was tired or sick to choose how to take care of me," Huyen said.

To help her daughter-in-law communicate well in Korean, Mrs. Bong Yul often drives Huyen to go out, shop, and get beauty treatments. She introduces her to local culture, greetings, and local customs. Huyen's vocabulary is not extensive, so to express herself more clearly, the mother and daughter have to use translation software even when standing next to each other. If they cannot understand everything, they use body language, but there has never been any misunderstanding.

But there are still times when situations are both funny and sad. When she first arrived in Korea, Huyen saw many boxes of kimchi prepared by her mother-in-law in the refrigerator. When she opened them, she found them sour, so she thought they were spoiled and threw them all away, not knowing that this type was used by Bong Yul to make soup. After her husband explained, Huyen regretted it, afraid that her mother-in-law would be angry.

"When Young Ho called, not only did my mother not scold me, she also told him not to scold his wife for fear of making me sad," Huyen said.

Mrs. Bong Yul takes care of her two grandchildren on the first day her daughter-in-law was discharged from the hospital after giving birth to her second child, July 2023. Photo: Provided by the character

After half a year of marriage, knowing Huyen was pregnant, Mrs. Bong Yul personally selected, bought and arranged each set of clothes, toys, diapers for her grandchild. She also prepared supplies for pregnant mothers and postpartum women for her daughter-in-law. Whenever her son was busy, she volunteered to take her daughter-in-law to prenatal checkups.

During her first pregnancy, Huyen had severe morning sickness. Knowing that she craved Vietnamese food, her mother-in-law taught herself some dishes like steamed eggs or stir-fried cabbage by watching her daughter-in-law make them and then copying them.

When her daughter-in-law and grandson came home, Mrs. Bong Yul moved in together to take care of them. The mother cooked, cleaned the house, and stayed up all night to feed her grandson so that her daughter-in-law could sleep and quickly recover after the cesarean section. Whenever she had free time, she would instruct Huyen on how to change diapers, prepare milk, and bathe the baby.

The Vietnamese bride shared that after giving birth, her mother-in-law hardly let her do anything. Everything related to the baby's supplies, she and her son researched and bought on their own. However, whatever she chose or bought, she sent her daughter-in-law to see first to ask for her opinion. Every time the children were sick, she stayed at the hospital alone to take care of them because she was afraid that Huyen's Korean was not good enough and she would not fully understand what the doctor meant.

Touched by her mother-in-law's affection, Huyen once asked why she devoted all the hardships to herself. The Korean mother smiled and replied: "Giving birth is tiring enough, now try to take good care of your health to help your husband take care of the kids."

The day Huyen was hospitalized for Covid treatment, her mother-in-law brought her grandson to her house to take care of him, and every day sent her baby pictures to encourage her daughter-in-law to get well soon and not to worry too much. On the first anniversary of their wedding, she texted her daughter-in-law: "Huyen, I was so busy that I forgot about your wedding day. Next time I will buy you delicious food. I love you."

Receiving the message, Huyen cried tears of happiness.

Bong Yul's notebook records all the information about the baby's meals and sleep for everyone in the house to easily follow. Photo: Character provided

Living with her mother-in-law, the Vietnamese daughter-in-law also learned how to take care of children carefully and meticulously from her.

When taking care of children, Mrs. Bong Yul always prepares a small notebook to record all information about her grandchild's eating and daily activities. What time the baby eats each day, how much he eats, his weight, vaccination date, which day the milk box is opened, and the amount of milk the baby drinks each day are all recorded for everyone in the family to easily follow.

She also always takes care of her grandchildren's health, does not kiss their cheeks or lips, and when she has a cold, she wears a mask or waits until she is well enough to hold her grandchildren. When children's books have a smell, she often uses a wet towel to wipe each book clean.

"Living with her, the children are well taken care of, the house is always clean, the food is delicious. I often joke that my mother-in-law is like Tam from Vietnamese fairy tales," Huyen shared.

Receiving her mother's love, on the occasion of Mid-Autumn Festival 2023, Huyen used all the Korean she had learned to write a handwritten letter to Mrs. Bong Yul. In the letter, she thanked her for being tolerant, generous, and loving her foreign daughter-in-law who still had many shortcomings like her. Her mother-in-law read the letter and told Huyen that as long as she and her husband loved and cared for each other, that was happiness for her.

These days, when the second child is stronger, Huyen wants to learn some Korean dishes from her mother-in-law to cook for her family. Every night when the two children are asleep, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stand by the kitchen, preparing and cooking together.

"Living with my mother, I feel like I have never been a daughter-in-law. I tell everyone I meet that she is my second biological mother," Huyen said.

Hai Hien

Vnexpress.net