The lesbian couple who publicly married in Hanoi one week ago and whose wedding was widely posted on the internet fell in love first sight, said a friend who added they only knew each other for one month.

T.A.T, the couple’s friend and photographer at the wedding said the two girls, both 19 years old, are students at the Raffles International College in Hanoi where the two met just last month.

But Quang Minh, who assumed the role of a ‘groom’ on December 14, is also a part-time project director for a communication company in the capital.

According to T.A.T, theirs is a very romantic love story. Chemicals instantly sparked between a gentle, feminine Thuy Linh wearing long hair dropping over her shoulder and a strong-willed, short-haired Quang Minh.

T.A.T told Doi Song Phap Luat he was very surprised at their decision and that he had never heard of a same sex marriage in Vietnam before.

But the insider believes in the marriage, saying Quang Minh has many years working in the business environment and therefore is mature enough despite his young age.

However, he admitted Thuy Linh was quite naïve.

The couple has announced they will seek further education abroad after they finish their studies at Raffles.

According to a superintendent at Raffles, the two are studying at the university and that they did organize a wedding.

The superintendent said Raffles was an international school familiar with western lifestyles but many were shocked at their decision.

“This is a personal matter for them so the school will not interfere”.

According to Doi Song Phap Luat, theirs is not the first same sex marriage in Vietnam.

About 10 years ago, two men pronounced marriage in the southern Mekong Delta. They are currently separated.

However, Thuy Linh and Quang Minh’s marriage is the first to be distributed on the internet. After the clip was posted on YouTube Thursday, it attracted tens of thousands of hits.

In the 11-minute-long clip, the two exchanged vows in a cozy restaurant in the presence of their friends, mostly young people.

The ‘groom’’s mother was the only parent to attend the wedding.

D.L, a lesbian guest at the wedding, said that people attending the ceremony was supportive and sympathetic and wished them a lifelong happiness.

Lesbians suffer more prejudice

According to a Hanoi conference early this year, lesbians suffer much more prejudice than gays in Vietnam.

Homosexuals in the Southeast Asian country is said to suffer discrimination not only from their communities but also at home.

The Center for Studies and Applied Science in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents reported that most parents in Hanoi considered homosexuality an illness and a bad issue.

Currently, Vietnamese laws ban same sex marriages.

Source: Tuoitre/Agencies