A Whirlwind Wedding Dinner Experience

I was invited to my first Vietnamese wedding dinner yesterday. The bride is a pretty young lady called L, who is my husband's colleague. She held her wedding at a small hotel in Lang Ha and this is considered a practice of the upper middle class in Hanoi. Typically, most others will hold their banquets in local restaurants and according to my husband, the experience would be totally different.



Le's wedding dinner started at 6pm and this timing would be considered early by Singaporeans' standard. However, in Hanoi, 6-7 pm is the dinner time for most. When we arrived, it was slightly past 6pm because there was a slight traffic jam along the way. The couple and their parents were already on a small stage pouring champagne and giving short speeches (possibly to thank the guests for coming). I had expected the bride to be dressed in the traditional Vietnamese costume "Ao Dai" but she had chosen a lacy white bustier gown instead, and looked simply radiant.

The waitress showed us to a table at the corner of the ballroom and I was quite surprised to find that a few dishes were already laid on the table. My husband explained that this was a common practice so as to "save time". I didn't fully comprehend what he meant until later. There was a total of 9 dishes, which included items such as roast suckling pig, crab and corn soup, chicken (which I refused to touch because of the bird flu scare in Hanoi), steamed fish, seafood stew, cold salad, vegetable dish, glutinous rice and fruits for desert. The dishes were mostly cooked in light broth or soup and I felt that it was the healthiest wedding dinner I have ever eaten. One thing though was the idea of using a "common spoon" did not exist in this restaurant so I felt a little bit uncomfortable.

What amazed me most was the "pace" at which the dinner was conducted. As the newly wed couple moved around the tables to toast to their guests and take pictures, the dishes continued to be served at "lightning" speed. By 6.40pm, the full course of the dinner was laid at the table and by 7pm, guests were starting to leave. I looked in amazement and this was when I finally understood that indeed, there was no time wasted.

We made a move at 7.15pm, spending only 1 hour (gasps!) at the dinner. This was really the shortest wedding dinner I have ever attended in my life (seriously). My only regret was that I had forgotten to bring along my camera and thus, was unable to take a picture with the bride.