6 Vietnamese Love Poems for Your Bilingual Wedding Ceremony

A beautiful thing about a bilingual wedding ceremony is that no one’s left out of the romance because of a language barrier! With some parts of your ceremony delivered in English, and some in Vietnamese, all of your friends and family will hear something special and share this exciting milestone with you. And including a Vietnamese love poem is a perfect way to create a multicultural wedding experience that you and your guests will never forget. 

 

How to include a love poem in your bilingual wedding ceremony

 

Ask a close friend or family member who’s fluent in both languages to get ordained to officiate your wedding. Having a friend officiate is the simplest way to ensure a bilingual ceremony that flows seamlessly and custom-made to fit your personal style and beliefs. Your friend-officiant will be able to guide you through your vows and any multicultural unity ceremony you choose, and deliver the love poem you choose with ease.

 

If you’ve already chosen a professional officiant instead, ask a loved one to read this poem during your wedding as a co-officiant or beloved participant! A parent, grandparent, best friend, or sibling all make great officiants and participants on your wedding day.

 

• First, visit our Wedding Script Library and choose a wedding ceremony script. 

 

• Then, add one or two of the popular Vietnamese love poems below to personalize it!

 

• Next, ask a friend to get ordained online to marry you, or to participate in the ceremony by reciting a poem.

 

When to include a reading in your wedding? 

 

You can include a special wedding reading during the invocation, after exchanging vows or wedding rings, as a final blessing from your officiant, or include one or two of your favorite lines from the poems below as part of your written vows. 

 

Place your favorite lines anywhere in the script that feels right to you. It’s your wedding, so let it reflect your style!  

 

Related: How to Include Family and Friends in the Wedding Ceremony

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Plan a Vietnamese English wedding ceremony with a sweet love poem! Traditional or contemporary, in one language or both! (Photo: Blake Cheek on Unsplash)

 

 

5 Vietnamese Love Poems for a Wedding Ceremony

 

1. "Tình trai" by Xuân Diệu (1938)

“Love of a Man” / “Male Love” by Xuan Dieu

This is one of the most well-known Vietnamese love poems about queer love and same-sex relationships. An English translation is included below the original poem. (Found here; read more about Xuan Dieu on MakingQueerHistory.com)

 

“Tôi nhớ Rimbaud với Verlaine,
Hai chàng thi sĩ choáng hơi men,
Say thơ xa lạ, mê tình bạn,
Khinh rẻ khuôn mòn, bỏ lối quen.

Những bước song song xéo dặm trường,
Đôi hồn tươi đậm ngát hoa hương,
Họ đi, tay yếu trong tay mạnh,
Nghe hát ân tình giữa gió sương.

Kể chi chuyện trước với ngày sau;
Quên gió môi son với áo màu;
Thây kệ thiên đường và địa ngục!
Không hề mặc cả, họ yêu nhau.”

 

Approximate English translation: 

 

I remember Rimbaud and Verlaine,
Two poets, drunk with wine,
Drunk by strange poetry, infatuated with friendship,
Despising the old ways, abandoning the familiar paths.

Parallel steps crossed the long distance,
Two souls filled with the fragrance of flowers,
They walked, weak hand in strong hand,
Sharing love songs in the breeze and dew.

What to tell about the past and the future;
Forget the wind, red lips and colored clothes;
Never mind heaven and hell!
Without bargaining, they loved each other.

 

 

2. An Excerpt from “Vow” by Diana Khoi Nguyen (2019)

 

This contemporary love poem is written in English by Vietnamese American poet Diana Khoi Nguyen. It makes a beautiful addition to a nature-themed wedding or multicultural ceremony. Ask a friend to read it in English, or translate it into Vietnamese.

 

• Read the full poem at PoetryFoundation.org

 

“Light rain will fall / and one cannot help but lean into the uncertainty of the sea. Bow: a knot
of two loops, two loose ends, our bodies on either side of this shore where we
will dip our hands to feel what can’t be seen. Horseshoe crabs whose blue
blood rich in copper will reach for cover, hinged between clouds and
sea. It will never be enough, the bull kelp like a whip coiling in tender hands,
hands who know to take or be taken, but take nothing with them: I will marry you.
I will marry you. So we can owe what we own to every beautiful thing.”

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3. "Love Shines Bright" - Unknown Author (Contemporary)

 

Short, simple, and sweet: this love poem can be added to written wedding vows, or recited during a unity candle ceremony. In this context, the poem echoes the meaning and symbolism of the unity candle. An English translation is included below the original poem. 

 

“Cảm ơn đời đã cho anh gặp em
Một nửa của anh, tri kỷ suốt đời
Nhờ có em, cuộc sống thêm màu sắc
Tình yêu đó rực rỡ hơn sao trời.”

 

Approximate English translation: 

 

Thank you, life, for letting me meet you, 
My other half, my lifelong soulmate.
Because of you, the world is full of color, 
And our love shines brighter than the stars.

 

 

4. “Chơi Đài Khán Xuân” by Hồ Xuân Hương (Late 18th Century)

“Spring-Watching Pavilion” by Ho Xuan Huong

 

This classic Vietnamese poem was written during a period of turmoil, it honors the resilience and perseverance of love. It’s a moving reminder to embrace the present moment, and to find joy in daily life together. An English translation is included below the original poem.

 

“Êm ái chiều xuân tới khán đài, 
Lâng lâng chẳng bợn chút trần ai.

Ba hồi chiêu mộ chuông gầm sóng,
Một vũng tang thương nước lộn trời.

Bể ái nghìn trùng khôn tát cạn,
Nguồn ân muôn trượng dễ khơi vơi.

Nào nào cực lạc là đâu tá,
Cực lạc là đây chín rõ mười.”

Approximate English translation: 

 

Softly the spring afternoon reaches the platform,
Lightly we float, untouched by worldly dust.

Three calls to summon souls, bells roar like crashing waves,
We see heaven reflected in pools of grief.

The sea of love is a thousand miles deep and cannot be drained,
The springs of grace are deep and flow easily,

You ask where Nirvana is?
Nirvana is right here – as clear as day.

 

 

5. Excerpt from "Tự hát" by Xuân Quỳnh (1984)

Singing to Myself by Xuan Quynh

 

Written by the beloved Vietnamese poet, this love poem reflects on the true nature of love, beyond materialism or social status. It’s a reminder that lasting love comes from trusting each other, seeking to understand each other at a deeper level, and wanting the best for each other. An English translation is included below the original poem.

 

• Read the full poem on Thivien.net

“Chả dại gì em ước nó bằng vàng
Trái tim em, anh đã từng biết đấy
Anh là người coi thường của cải
Nên nếu cần anh bán nó đi ngay

Em trở về đúng nghĩa trái tim
Biết làm sống những hồng cầu đã chết
Biết lấy lại những gì đã mất
Biết rút gần khoảng cách của yêu tin
…
Em trở về đúng nghĩa trái-tim-em
Biết khao khát những điều anh mơ ước
Biết xúc động qua nhiều nhận thức
Biết yêu anh và biết được anh yêu …”

 

Approximate English translation: 

 

I’d be a fool to wish it were made of gold, 
My heart – you’ve always known this about me.
I’m not someone who cares about wealth or treasure,
So if it were gold, I’d sell it without a thought.

I’m returning to the true meaning of heart, 
A heart that rekindles blood gone cold,
That reclaims what once seemed lost,
That draws love and trust closer together.
...
I’m returning to the true meaning of my heart,
A heart that longs for what you dream of,
That’s moved by insight, rich and clear,
That knows how to love you, and knows you love me...

 

 

6. Traditional Vietnamese Folk Poem - Unknown Author (Oral Tradition)

 

This Vietnamese folk poem is often recited during wedding ceremonies as a sweet reminder to love one another ‘for better or worse,’ through life’s inevitable ups and downs. (See it used in a Vietnamese wedding script here.)

 

“Yêu nhau chẳng quản xa gần
Cầu không tay vịn, cũng lần mà sang.
Yêu nhau chẳng quản lầm than,
Mấy sông cũng lội, mấy ngàn cũng qua.
Yêu nhau chẳng ngại đường xa.
Đá vàng cũng quyết, phong ba cũng liều”.

 

Approximate English translation: 

 

Loving each other, we mind not near or far,
If a bridge has no rail, we will still cross it together.
Loving each other, we fear no hardship,
We’ll wade through rivers, and climb over mountains.
Loving each other, no road feels too long;
Steadfast as stone, faithful as gold, through every storm, we dare.
 

 

(Photo: DragonImages / iStock)

 

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More Wedding Readings: Ideas & Inspiration 

 

• 12 Love Poems for Your Wedding Ceremony
   
• 30 Buddhist Quotes on Love & Happiness for Your Wedding Ceremony Script
   
• 10 Non Religious Wedding Readings to Add to Your Ceremony
   

Browse all Wedding Readings

 

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