Vietnamese Mail Order Brides: Facts, Insights & Costs in 2024

Best Sites to Find Vietnamese Brides

Most men meet their Vietnamese wives online, and most often, it happens on niche Vietnamese dating sites and mail order bride platforms. Choosing the right one, however, isn’t easy, so I asked our dating site expert, Andrew Hough, to share his best picks for this segment of the market.

Andrew Hough

Researcher

SakuraDate rate

If you ask me about my top pick, it will be SakuraDate. This is a relatively new yet very promising mail order bride site with a large number of Vietnamese women already looking for a future spouse on the platform. Profiles are very detailed, there are some great features like gift delivery and video messaging, and you’ll get all the accurate information on the prices before you start spending real money. Also, bonus credits are granted to every newcomer.

How to Find a Vietnamese Bride: Best Way to Meet Vietnamese Brides

The number of online dating users in Vietnam is expected to amount to 3.5 million by 2027. Just like in most other countries, more and more people in Vietnam choose the easiest, cheapest, and most effective ways to meet a new partner in the modern world and join dating platforms.

However, it’s important to consider the context of international dating, too. In particular, around 300 thousand Vietnamese women married foreign men between 2008 and 2010, and around 115 thousand interracial marriages were registered within the country, with Vietnamese ladies accounting for more than 72% of all couples who got married. Most of them met not just online but through dating agencies and on niche websites designed exclusively for Vietnamese and foreign singles. Now, in 2023, agencies aren’t as popular nowadays, so most Vietnamese mail order brides find their future husbands on niche mail order bride sites and international dating websites.

Such platforms have multiple advantages over the so-called “mainstream” apps. They connect you directly with Vietnamese girls looking for a relationship with a foreigner, offer advanced communication services, and have great matchmaking features that allow most men to find their perfect Vietnamese brides faster and more easily. Still, I also must admit that finding such a site that would meet all the quality criteria isn’t the easiest task to do.

Andrew Hough

Researcher

The Asian online dating market is the most diverse compared to all other segments, in particular, the Latin and Slavic ones. Research may be really time-consuming, so if you’re looking for easier options and want to choose one of the most versatile and reputable platforms, take a look at these sites:

• SakuraDate — the best new Asian dating site with hundreds of Vietnamese women already registered here
• EasternHoneys — one of the oldest sites with Vietnamese singles offering some interesting services that make it work more like a social networking site
• TheLuckyDate — the website that will work best for beginners as it works like a regular dating app despite having all the advantages of a top niche site

The key to success is to learn as much as possible about the features of a particular website and then see how they match your own priorities. If you do it, you’ll make the right choice.

Alternative Ways to Find a Vietnamese Bride

Though niche websites have multiple advantages, it doesn’t mean they’re the only perfect way to meet a Vietnamese woman. If for some reason, they don’t seem to be the best option for you, you can consider choosing one of the alternatives.

You can experiment and try all the methods or save time and pick the one that fits your preferences. 

How to Get a Vietnamese Bride

How to meet a real Vietnamese woman? Here’s a short guide for you with tips from Andrew.

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Vietnamese Bride Price 

This is just international dating. You choose a website with Vietnam mail order brides, create a profile, sign up, and chat there. Then you meet that Vietnamese mail order bride in person, marry her, and bring her to the United States. Obviously, all these steps are not free, except the first ones. Once you start chatting with a Vietnamese bride online, you need to pay for that. 

So, the first thing you’ll have to pay for is online dating. Let’s take a look at SakuraDate, one of the best Asian dating platforms right now. How much will you pay for it?

• This site has 6 credit packages costing from $13 to $200. 
• 1 credit will cost you from 38 cents (the smallest credit package) to 20 cents only (the largest one). Assuming you're going to choose the best option, 1 credit will cost $0.2 for you. 
• In this case, you'll pay $0.4 per 1 minute of live chat and $4 per 1 email sent. 

Let's say you'll chat for 300 minutes during a month—in this case, you'll spend only $120. Add 15 emails sent and you'll get $60 more ($180 in total). Of course, it depends on you because with these credit-based websites, the users can decide how much they want to spend. But in our experience, most users spend around $200/month.

Andrew Hough

Researcher

Of course, you must also invest your time in finding the right dating site. If you skip this step and sign up on a fake/poor-quality website, you’ll waste much more there—these sites are full of scammers, and the median reported loss to romance scammers is around $4,400 in the US.

What you need is a high-quality, trusted, and legit dating site with real people. SofiaDate, SakuraDate, and LatiDate are exactly the platforms you wanted to find: they have thousands of real women from Europe, Asia, and Latin America; they are legit and reputable; they are pretty affordable and 100% secure.

Online dating is just the first part of it, that’s not all. Here are the other things you will need to pay for:

• Meeting your Vietnam bride in person. You’ll pay around $1,000 (the cheapest round-trip prices from the US are around $900) for the tickets and $40-$100 per day for everything else including a hotel room and food. So a 2-week trip will cost you $1,600-$2,400 or something like that. 
• Then, you’ll have to pay for her K-1 fiancé(e) visa. As of March 2024, the visa fees for the K-1 visa is only $800, but in April, the cost increases from $800 to $940. The green card cost also increases from $1,225 to $1,440 in April so the total cost of the K-1 visa and a green card in 2024 is going to be $2,380.
• The average cost of an overseas wedding in this country is around $11,400, the wedding packages in restaurants range from $5,000 to $50,000, and it's up to you which one you're going to choose. Those who live a full frugal mode can get married for around $30 in the US (that's the cost of the marriage certificate). 

That’s not all you need to know. Vietnam has a very different culture, and it makes sense that their culture affects their wedding and dating traditions. But how does it affect the final cost of the Vietnamese bride?

What Else to Know About the Vietnamese Brides Price?

Traditionally, it's the bride's family who pays for the wedding in Vietnam, but it's certainly not a rule anymore. However, if your bride's family is traditional in this regard, this means that you will have to present her parents with alcohol, food, fruits, jewelry, and 2 "hongbao", red envelopes with cash inside. Just so you know, the hongbao is not a secret gift, they'll open these envelopes and announce what's in each one of them loudly! The expected amount of cash depends on a lot of factors like how traditional her family is and what's their financial status, but typically, they don't expect too expensive gifts. Exceptions are possible, though.

The good news is that if the parents of your Vietnamese mail order bride are really traditional, you'll probably get a 50% cashback of that dowry which is a sign of humility and gratefulness in Vietnamese culture. 

And that’s not all either. A horse ride with a litter (your Vietnamese wife will be there)? What about 3 changes of a bride's dress during the wedding? There are other traditions that can influence the final Vietnamese bride cost, but there are so many of them I just can’t list them all.

How to Save Money 

Use hotel and flight aggregators and book everything in advance before meeting those Vietnamese women. With websites like SkyScanner or Tripadvisor, you’ll save up to 50%.

Meet your Vietnamese girl for marriage during the low season. From April to June and from September to October, there are no crowds here and the prices are much lower. The weather can be harsh, though.

Your Vietnamese bride will probably want to incorporate all those traditions into the wedding events. Perhaps, it's a good idea to discourage her politely—some Vietnamese traditions are pretty costly (to say the least).

Success Stories

Patrick

“I had no idea what I was doing when I signed up for a SakuraDate account. It was my last-ditch attempt at doing something with my non-existent love life. Imagine my surprise when, one month in, I clicked with a Vietnamese girl who was ten years younger but way braver than me when it comes to matters of the heart. Thu never complained, but her stories about douchebag exes (my words, not hers) were proof enough that those guys didn’t know what they were missing out on. It took us a while to get to the point of our first face-to-face date and even longer to get to the altar, but it was an exhilarating ride, full of virtual dates, sexting, and more. But she’s finally by my side, and I’m grateful I took my chance with online dating all those years ago.”

Roy

“We’re still working on what we’re gonna tell our grandkids about how we met because me and Pham are a bit embarrassed about our first date. We met on EasternHoneys but never chatted much, so when I came to Hanoi, I expected to meet up with another girl who stood me up. Angry and convinced that all Vietnamese girls were only looking to marry foreign men to steal our money, I nearly bawled over Pham. She recognized me and offered to show me around when she learned what happened. If not for her, my vacation would have been ruined. And that wasn’t the last time she saved me from my bad choices. I was lucky she was forgiving enough to give me a second chance. Long story short, we married last June.”

Cons of Finding a Bride from Vietnam

• She’ll likely be Buddhist and unwilling to convert to Christianity
• Her relatives will keep trying to mess with her love life even across the ocean
• She won’t be able to find a good job until she learns English

Mary Jackson’s Relationship Advice

“After chatting with dozens of Vietnamese wives, I discovered they have to combat stereotypes on two fronts. On the one hand, many Americans consider all Asians the same, disregarding Vietnamese heritage, culture, and religion. On the other hand, Vietnamese women developed an undeserved reputation for being easy in the wake of the Vietnam War. To avoid falling for these traps, get your Vietnamese bride to teach you about her culture and teach her American ways in turn. These two-way “lessons” will help you avoid arguments about the little things, which often become the final straw in breaking successful relationships.”

Vietnamese Bride Interview

I always believed that personal stories are way more powerful than generic observations. So I set out to learn what drives Vietnamese mail order brides to seek foreign husbands and I was lucky enough to run across Thanh’s profile on SakuraDate. Thanh is a 27-year-old sales and marketing manager from Hanoi. Here’s what she shared with me:

Mary Jackson: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Thanh! Let’s start with an easy question. How do you like SakuraDate so far?

Thanh: It’s different from other dating apps I’ve tried before, and I like it. Most guys on regular sites are just looking for a hookup or a friend if you’re lucky. Here, most men seem to be serious about long-term partnership and commitment, and I’m all for that.

Mary Jackson: Your profile specifies you’re also looking for marriage or a long-term relationship. But what made you look for a husband overseas? I think you should have no trouble finding potential partners in Hanoi.

Thanh: I hate to sound like a cliche, but I’m not like other women. Most Vietnamese wives are happy to stay at home, raise children, and let their husbands take care of all the decision-making. There’s nothing wrong with that, but such a life is not for me. But that’s what most local men expect—a docile and silent maid. I didn’t work for my Master’s degree and my career to give it all up. 

Mary Jackson: Won’t you have to give it up once you find a foreign husband? How will your career survive a move across the world?

Thanh: A few years ago, that could have been a problem, but since the pandemic, remote operations have become the norm all over the world. Even if I prefer office work, I’m sure my skills and experience will help me find a good position in any country. And if worse comes to worst, I can always go freelance.

Mary Jackson: I have no doubt you’ll succeed with that kind of drive. But before you start planning your move, you need to find your future husband. Any luck on that front?

Thanh: I don’t want to jinx it, but I think I’ve found the perfect man. He’s a great listener and is just as excited to hear about my work projects as I am to learn more about his investment hurdles. Like me, he loves music, which is an endless source of energy and inspiration for both of us. We even have a “date” playlist we keep adding to. I always put it on when reading his letters or when chatting with him.

Mary Jackson: Sounds like you found your match! Have you been dating long? Any plans for a face-to-face meeting?

Thanh: We’ve been chatting for about six months, but we only started discussing getting serious a month or so ago. Andy wants to come visit me this year, but we have to align our schedules so that both of us have vacation days we can spend together. I don’t want to only see him after work when he flies across the world to meet me. Hopefully, our plans pan out. I’m excited to show him around and get him to fall in love with Vietnam.

Mary Jackson: Do you plan to introduce him to your parents? Do they know you’re a mail order Vietnamese bride? If so, how do they feel about it?

Thanh: You know, half of my friends are married to foreigners, so it isn’t such a big deal. I haven’t told my parents about Andy’s upcoming visit because I don’t know the details yet, but I hope to introduce him to my family. They know I’ve been seeing someone I met online, but they have no idea we’ve never met before. I’m hoping my family likes him as much as I do because I’d hate the idea of a rift in the family. 

Mary Jackson: I hope your IRL dating will be as good as your online dates. Do you have any last-minute advice for other guys looking for Vietnamese brides? 

Thanh: Don’t open your first chat with a question about the Vietnam War. Instead, look for something your profiles have in common and build a conversation around that. It’s miles better than awkward stock messages or dated assumptions. 

Why Do Vietnamese Women Look For Foreign Husbands?

A stable financial future and high status may drive many Vietnam mail order brides to seek foreign husbands, but that’s not their only motivation. Some want to get from under the oppressive patriarchal society’s rule to get a good education and build a career. Others do not appreciate the way Vietnamese men treat local women and fall for the instant gratification of marrying foreign women from poor neighboring countries. Study each Vietnamese bride’s profile carefully, and her bio and partner requirements will clue you into her motivation for seeking a husband overseas.

Vietnamese Mail Order Bride Statistics

I’m a firm believer that numbers can paint a clear picture of any country or culture, so here’s a sneak peek at a few important data points about Vietnamese mail order brides:

1. In 2022, 618 Vietnamese brides received K-1 visas, and they brought 137 children to the US on K-2 visas. 
2. The female population of Vietnam is around 49.86 million, outpacing the male population by about 260K.
3. Vietnamese girls get married young (at 22.8 y.o. on average), and their grooms are typically 4.1 years older.
4. Vietnamese girls don’t mind marrying older foreign men, considering the age gap in Vietnamese-American couples ranges from 2.5 to 9.5 years. 
5. Vietnamese ladies usually have two children, considering the average fertility rate of 1.9.

Remember that averages aren’t always representative of individual cases, so don’t give up on Vietnamese brides simply because they seem too young or unattainable. 

Vietnamese Mail Order Bride Scam

Over the last decade, the reported losses from online romance scams have been steadily rising. According to the latest FTC report, in 2023, over 64,000 Americans fell prey to romance scammers, with a mean loss of over $2,000 and an overall loss of over $1.14 billion. Although most Vietnamese women on reputable dating sites are genuinely looking for connection and love, there’s always a risk of running into a scammer.

Here are a few red flags to look out for when you’re dating Vietnamese brides online:

• She dodges video calls and IRL dates. That’s a sure sign that profile photos are fake. To get foolproof evidence, ask the girl to send you a short video with a specific request. Get her to show you her closet or her breakfast or say a certain phrase. It’s an easy enough request, but it will be enough to check if the Vietnamese woman is real.
• Her parents or siblings are in trouble, and she needs your help. Sad stories are usually scam stories, so ignore all requests for money, checks, or gift cards from people you’ve never met in person.
• She knows a secret way to double your income so you can visit her in Vietnam. Cryptocurrency scams have made their way to online dating. Remember that no legitimate investment approach will ever produce a 100% return on investment within a year, let alone a month.
• Her dating profile photos are listed on social media under another name. Some young girls register across multiple dating sites, but if you notice profiles under different names, that can be a sign of stolen identity. Run a reverse image search and report your suspicions to the dating site support team.
• She wants to know everything about you. Innocent-sounding questions can make you release sensitive information, like your bank account security answers or contact details, that can be used for identity fraud. Other scammers may urge you to exchange intimate photos or videos that can later be used to blackmail you.

No one is 100% safe from online romance scams, so be careful, use common sense, and remember to block and report anyone who makes you uncomfortable or suspicious. 

How to Bring Your Vietnamese Bride to the US

Marrying a Vietnamese mail order bride on US soil is typically the easiest way of bringing her to the country, even if securing a K-1 fiance visa can take about 12 months. The process goes like this:

1. Collect paperwork. You’ll both need IDs, proof of previous marriage dissolutions, as well as evidence of your relationship. You may also need to prove you can support your Vietnamese bride financially once she comes to the US. 
2. File Form I-129F and have your fiance apply for a nonimmigrant visa (Form DS-160) once your petition is approved.
3. Organize your Vietnamese bride’s move to the US and meet her after she clears the port of entry inspections.
4. Apply for a marriage license and get married within 90 days of your bride’s arrival in the US under the terms of her K-1 visa.
5. Help your Vietnamese wife file for US residency status (Form I-485) and an employment permit (Form I-765) once she settles into her new life.

Learn more about the process and the paperwork requirements via the US Citizenship and Immigration Services or the Bureau of Consular Affairs websites. 

Wrapping Up

“I couldn’t fit everything you need to know about Vietnamese mail order brides into a single short post, but hopefully, you’ve learned enough to know they are worth your attention. Even if they are twelve time zones away and don’t speak English all that well, Vietnamese women make excellent wives for Americans, as decades of successful American-Vietnamese marriages prove. Besides, you don’t need to hop on the first plane to Hanoi. Start slow with an online dating profile, get to know Vietnamese girls, and build relationships that will last.”

Sources of Information:

• statista.com
• onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Mary Jackson

Writer

Mary Jackson is a personal coach who has been working with Asian and Latin female immigrants to the United States for over seven years. She knows everything about the problems people trying to assimilate into a new society usually face. Though Mary focuses mostly on personal growth, she also helps her clients to overcome difficulties in cross-cultural relationships and shares this knowledge with Mail-Order-Bride site visitors, too.

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