Strolling hand in hand through the streets, the young officer stopped at a Trang Tien ice cream shop to buy himself and his girlfriend one of Hanoi's specialties. She leaned against his shoulder, gazing into the distance as she reminisced: "Time flies so fast, doesn't it, darling? It feels like just yesterday you were a cadet at the Information Officer School, and I was a final-year student at the University of Commerce. Back then, you were doing your internship in Da Nang , and we met thanks to Facebook."

Previously, Nguyen Phuong Linh had never thought she would fall in love with a soldier, and even less so with a long-distance relationship. Before chatting on Facebook, she had looked at his information and photos on his timeline, only seeing pictures of him in civilian clothes. Through their conversations, Phuong Linh found the young man very intelligent and humorous. They talked daily, but the young officer didn't reveal details about his job, always sharing funny stories that his girlfriend thoroughly enjoyed.

Lieutenant Le Van Bang with his girlfriend Nguyen Phuong Linh.

Gradually, as she became captivated by his daily stories, and when he was busy with work and couldn't text her, she felt a longing and took the initiative to contact him first. After the internship in Da Nang ended and he returned to his unit, the young officer promised to come to Hanoi to meet his beloved. Their first meeting was by Hoan Kiem Lake. That morning, Phuong Linh was very nervous, so she arrived at the meeting point early. Looking over at the chair next to her, she saw a young man in military uniform facing the lake, holding a notebook.

At that moment, partly because it wasn't yet time for the appointment, and partly because she was imagining the person coming to meet her would be wearing a white shirt and trousers, she didn't pay attention to the young man beside her anymore. Looking at her watch, it was exactly the appointed time. Phuong Linh took out her phone and dialed the number, but the line was busy. Looking over at the seat next to her, she saw the soldier was also on a call. A few minutes later, her phone rang, and a familiar voice was very close to her. Both turned to look at each other and walked towards each other. It turned out they had both arrived very early, only they hadn't recognized each other, and she was surprised that he was a soldier.

As Phương Linh took her boyfriend on a tour of the capital's tourist attractions and listened to the officer share about his work, she felt even more fond of and appreciative of him. At their farewell, they both shared a heartfelt promise: "Let's both work hard to do well in our studies. Wait for me, okay?"

On December 22nd last year, Phuong Linh traveled from Hanoi to visit her boyfriend at his unit. This was also her furthest trip to the military camp where her boyfriend worked. The first time she set foot in the army barracks, where her boyfriend was stationed, she felt the warmth and care from everyone, along with the bright, green, clean, and beautiful working environment. This made her feel secure and love her soldier boyfriend even more.

Whenever he had leave, he would often arrange time to go to Hanoi to visit and meet his girlfriend's family. With his mature demeanor as a soldier and his sincere way of speaking, the officer won over her parents. Both families strongly supported the relationship and were looking forward to the day the young couple would officially tie the knot.

Text and photos: NGOC HUYEN