(Dan Tri) - The first time he came to his Vietnamese wife's house, Martin poured fish sauce on his rice, making the whole family's eyes and mouths wide open in surprise. The German man then spoke Nghe An dialect so well that many people were "jealous".
On the personal Facebook page of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa (39 years old, from Nghe An, currently living and working in Switzerland), many videos were posted about her and her husband - Martin Knöfel's daily life. What impressed social media users was that in the videos, Martin Knöfel spoke a strong Nghe dialect - a language that many Vietnamese people still feel "puzzled". Under the videos, many comments left endless praise for the Western son-in-law.
In fact, German construction engineer Martin Knöfel knew and loved Nghe An dialect before meeting Ms. Hoa. But it was his love for his Vietnamese wife that made him love and learn to speak Nghe An dialect even more so that "his wife would not miss home so much".
Coming to a friend's house to "eat for free", a foreign guy "fell in love at first sight"
Martin (39 years old) accidentally met Ms. Hoa when he came to her house for dinner at the invitation of his brother-in-law during the April 30-May 1, 2007 holiday. That chance encounter made the foreign guy fall in love at first sight and try every way to talk to the female student of pedagogy.
Ms. Hoa's first impression of Martin Knöfel was that he was handsome and cute, but she did not think that this man would be the destiny of her life. After meeting, the German guy often texted and chatted. Gradually, love blossomed between the two. After a long-distance relationship, in 2008, Ms. Hoa and Mr. Martin's wedding took place right in his wife's hometown.
The wedding day, a "laugh-out-loud" situation that now, every time Hoa recalls it, she can't help but laugh. The thing is, on the day of the wedding, Martin didn't see his wife at home, couldn't find her, couldn't call her, thought she had "run away", he panicked and went looking for her, even "cried and made a fuss" about his father-in-law. Only when his cousin drove her to where Hoa was putting on makeup, did Martin "breathe a sigh of relief".
After the wedding, Martin returned to Germany to finish his university degree, while Hoa stayed in Vietnam to work inthe education sector. In 2010, Martin took his wife to Switzerland - where he had just started working for 3 months, ending the "unlucky couple" situation.
"Like many other couples, we face many barriers from culture and lifestyle when coming from two different countries. However, my husband and I respect each other's differences, the differences in culture and customs of each country.
We do not try to change each other's thoughts, beliefs and customs, but try to integrate. I try to learn German to communicate with his family more easily and so does he. If there is anything we are not satisfied with each other, we sit down and have a serious talk so that the other does not repeat those things again. Each person tries a little for the other, gradually getting along with each other without realizing it," Ms. Hoa confided.
Love Nghe dialect, love Uncle Ho
Ms. Hoa always feels lucky to have a husband who understands, understands and loves her wholeheartedly. This man is willing to do everything to make his wife happy. Learning and speaking his wife's native language is also his way of showing his love for the woman who accepted to leave her family and hometown to come to a strange country.
"Martin really likes to speak Nghe An dialect. He also often takes the initiative to speak Nghe An dialect when at home with his wife. He says it helps his wife miss her homeland less," Ms. Hoa emotionally shared.
"Nghe An language is difficult, but Martin loves Nghe An language. The more difficult and "unique" it is, the more Martin wants to conquer it," Martin continued his wife's words.
Many years ago, this German guy came to Vietnam for a vacation. He traveled to many places and was especially impressed with the Vietnamese language and culture, but when he arrived in Nghe An, Martin was "enchanted" by the "heavy" language, which was somewhat difficult to hear and pronounce for foreigners.
What is special is that Martin's Nghe dialect was self-taught, mainly from Hoa's family members and neighbors. At first, he had to frequently go online to "ask Mr. Google", of course, with "Nghe dialect", Google sometimes also "gave up". Gradually, he listened carefully, tried to guess the meaning of each word, and if he didn't understand, he asked his wife and everyone else.
Because he "learned by stealth", Martin was often teased by his wife's parents' neighbors with slang words that were thick with Nghe An dialect. When he understood the meaning, he could only laugh.
While many Vietnamese people still find it difficult to use "mo, te, rang, rua", he uses them fluently and in the right context. Some words typical of Nghe An and Ha Tinh - Martin calls them "Nghe Tinh, my hometown" - are no trouble for him.
On the weekend, Martin called Vietnam to chat with his father-in-law for an hour. His father-in-law is funny, often "playing pranks" on his son-in-law with some slang words, which Martin did not understand, asked his wife to explain and then laughed heartily. Martin admitted that he got along well with his father-in-law and felt "annoyed" when his father refused to go to Switzerland for a vacation even though his son-in-law had "invited him 50 times". The affection between father-in-law and son-in-law sometimes made Hoa feel jealous.
Loving Vietnam, Martin reads many books about the history and culture of the country that he always feels new but very close to every time he has the opportunity to visit. On his bookshelf, there are many books about Vietnam written by German authors and he maintains the habit of reading books every day. This foreign son-in-law also learns about famous people, Vietnamese heroes and especially loves Uncle Ho and General Vo Nguyen Giap.
"He bought and read many books about Vietnam, which made me feel respected and loved. I was surprised when he knew that September 2 was Vietnam's National Day, and also the death anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh. Martin said he loved President Ho very much because he did a lot of research and knew that "he was a very good person", Ms. Hoa could not hide her pride in her husband.
Sitting next to him, Martin smiled: "Vietnamese people have a saying 'love each other, love the whole way home'. Martin loves his wife, so Martin loves Vietnam, as well as loves his homeland Germany and loves Switzerland where Martin and his wife live and work."
Addicted to fish sauce, must bring a bottle when traveling
Do you remember 15 years ago, the first time Martin followed Hoa's brother-in-law to visit and stay for dinner, the foreign guy made the whole family gasp when he... ate rice with fish sauce. It turned out that Martin had loved fish sauce before coming to Vietnam. And of course, nowhere else could he enjoy eating "to satisfy his cravings" like when he came to Vietnam, where almost every family's dinner table cannot lack a bowl of rich fish sauce dotted with a few slices of spicy chili.
Even when he settled in Switzerland, Hoa and her husband's meals were never without a bowl of fish sauce, of course mixed with the right Nghe An flavor with ginger, garlic, lemon and chili. Martin's "addiction" was such that if there was no fish sauce on the table, it was a must. Every time he went to the supermarket, there was always a bottle of fish sauce in his shopping cart, sometimes he bought... 3 bottles because he was afraid it would run out. Even when traveling abroad, this Western son-in-law had to bring a bottle of fish sauce because he was afraid it wouldn't be sold there.
But he is not only addicted to fish sauce, Martin loves all Vietnamese dishes such as vermicelli, pho, fried spring rolls, pickled vegetables, stir-fried vegetables with offal... Only Martin "doesn't like" eel porridge, a specialty of his wife's hometown, because eels look like snakes. However, he promised his wife that he "will gradually like it" (!).
Martin is not only a fan of Vietnamese food, but he is also a fan of green tea. Every time he has the opportunity to visit his wife's parents in Vietnam, he hangs out at his neighbor's house, watches Chinese chess, and is offered green tea. Unlike many other foreigners, Martin can eat and quite likes Vietnamese vegetables and spices. Therefore, Ms. Hoa has designed her balcony into a vegetable garden of all kinds with seeds brought from her home country.
Ms. Hoa's small garden not only solves the problem of food costs, especially Vietnamese vegetables that are sold at expensive prices in supermarkets, but also helps her to feel less homesick and homesick. "I also often treat my neighbors and my husband's friends to vegetables and tubers that I grow myself, as a way to introduce Vietnam closer to them," Ms. Hoa shared.
Photo: Character provided
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