In 2020, Pham Anh Tuan, a 34-year-old auto parts salesman from Ninh Binh, met Ta Thi Kim Thanh, a woman four years his junior from Me Linh, Hanoi, through social media. From their first conversation, they chatted through the night. "She was soft-spoken, and her pretty face gave me a very warm feeling," Tuan recalled.

After one week of chatting, Tuan brought food to Thanh's office as a gift. Witnessing the small woman clinging to the wall, walking with a limp, Tuan felt his heart sink. He was surprised, as her actual condition—sequelae from birth asphyxia leading to motor weakness—was more challenging than he had imagined. They exchanged a few polite words before parting ways.

On his way home, the image of Thanh lingered in Tuan's mind. He wondered if she had ever traveled far, been in love, or how she managed her legs in the city. "Suddenly, I felt a strong urge to protect and compensate her," Tuan recounted.

He stopped his car mid-road and sent a message: "Tonight, I'll pick you up from work and take you home!"

Receiving the message, Thanh nearly cried. Seeing the tall man with a bright face, she had thought he belonged to a different world. But that message planted a seed of hope in her heart.

That evening, the 1,75 m tall man carried the 1,4 m, 32 kg woman into his car and drove her to her rented room. Thanh insisted on paying for the ride, saying she wouldn't ask for his help again otherwise. Tuan accepted the money as a formality, secretly admiring her independence. After that evening, he appeared daily, taking her out to eat and accompanying her as a routine.

Tuan and Thanh during their trip to Phu Quoc, 2020. Photo: Tuandaily

Once they grew closer, Thanh shared her story: she suffered birth asphyxia, which resulted in paralysis in two legs and one arm. She began first grade at 10 years old. Despite consistently being a good student, she decided to switch to vocational training at a center for people with disabilities after seeing her friends graduate while she was still in eighth grade. When she started working, she lived alone, cooking and washing her own clothes. Before meeting Tuan, her mobility with motorbike taxis was difficult, and she often fell.

After one week of knowing each other, Tuan drove Thanh to Me Linh to seek her family's permission to pursue a relationship. When he expressed his love, Thanh initially refused, fearing she would burden him. Tuan reassured her, saying, "I am strong and capable; carrying you is no burden. I want to make it up to you."

From then on, Tuan regularly carried Thanh up and down her 5th-floor rented room, took her for coffee, and traveled to places like Sa Pa and Phu Quoc. Many times, people passing by mistook Thanh for his child when he carried her. Tuan would laugh and reply, "No, she's my girlfriend."

Preparing for their life together, Tuan rented an apartment with an elevator. Thanh took on photo editing work from home and managed the cooking.

In 2022, Tuan introduced Thanh to his family in Ninh Binh. Despite objections from some, he carried her directly to the commune People's Committee to register their marriage, demonstrating his unwavering love. The young man's determination gradually won over his relatives.

Later that year, their wedding took place with blessings from both families. To spend more time with his wife, Tuan decided to quit his job at the auto parts store and learned photo editing from Thanh, allowing them both to work from home.

From then on, Tuan single-handedly managed the household chores, from cooking to cleaning. Each morning, he styled his wife's hair, carried her to eat, then placed her at her desk. At the end of the day, he placed his wife in the car and drove her around.

When their daughter was born, the couple moved to Me Linh to live near Thanh's maternal grandparents.

Tuan carries his wife to eat with the family every day. Photo: Tuandaily

Thuy Trang, 36 years old, Thanh's older sister, shared that the family was worried when Tuan first came to ask for permission. They feared it was a fleeting emotion from the young man. "We worried about Tuan's family objecting, and that he was too young to fully understand the difficulties of committing to someone with a disability," Trang recalled.

However, after three years of marriage, Tuan proved to be not only a devoted husband but also a filial son-in-law. When his mother-in-law was hospitalized due to declining health, he personally washed her hair and cared for her. "My parents consider Tuan like their own son; to us, he is family," she said.

Looking back on their journey, Kim Thanh now smiles happily. She realized that with continued effort, sincerity, and belief in love, a man would be willing to carry her around the world.

Pham Nga