Regulation on marriage certificates when marrying Vietnamese
Did you, expats, know that you and your Vietnamese husband- or wife-to-be have the right to receive your marriage certificate at a formal ceremony, along with flowers, champagne, and congratulations from authorities?
This is what the administration of Ba Dinh District in Hanoi gave local supermodel Vu Ha Anh and her British spouse Oliver Dowden, who got their marriage certificate on July 12.
At the ceremony, as updated on the supermodel’s Facebook page the same day, the couple, who will tie the knot during a wedding reception later this month, were congratulated and granted the marriage certification by a top official.
There were also a pair of champagne glasses for the couple to toast their marriage, now formally recognized by the law.
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In her Facebook post, accompanied by a series of photos capturing the formalities, Anh expressed how proud she felt to see officials handle her marriage registration procedures with great respect.
However, the Facebook post and photos of the ceremony have attracted not only congratulatory comments, but also hatred feedback.
Some people said that was simply Anh’s publicity stunt and such a ceremony was unnecessary. The district administration has also been criticized for giving such alleged favorable treatment to the couple.
Many Vietnamese people have indeed received their marriage certificates in a less formal way, usually at the working counter of the local administration office.
An official will ask them to both sign the document, which is all for the formality.
There will be no ceremony, no congratulatory messages, no flowers nor champagne, such as what Anh and Dowden were treated to.
However, as the supermodel pointed out on her Facebook a few days later, such a formality is totally normal and stipulated in the law.
The supermodel cited the Vietnamese law on civil status, ratified by the lawmaking National Assembly in November 2014, saying that “a marriage certificate ceremony is a required formality in the marriage between a local and a foreigner.”
Many of Anh’s fans also commented on her Facebook, saying they had got their marriage certificates at similar ceremonies when marrying foreign spouses.
It turns out that few know of such a regulation, and Anh has just made it known to the wider public.
So if you are going to tie the knot with a local, do not forget to request such a ceremony be held when you receive your marriage certificate.