Love story of Belgian and Vietnamese ethnic girl The interracial couple and their 7-month-old daughter. Photo: Tuoi Tre Despite personal differences, Belgian man Jon Nathan and Y Hem, a Vietnamese ethnic minority girl, have found their happily-ever-after. They have just tied the knot and have a 7-month-old daughter. Jon Nathan, 28, and Y Hem, 26 met in 2008 when Jon traveled to Kon Tum central highlands. That time, the ethnic girl was assigned to act as a tour guide for foreign visitors though she just spoke a little English then. During a one-week trip, Jon really enjoyed experiencing life-styles of Ba Na ethnic group and was attracted by the “forest culture” of Y Hem. When the tour ended, a friendship between the white man and the mountain girl developed as they often kept in touch via emails. Y Hem attended an English class while Jon tried to self-study Ba Na language in order to lower their language barrier. In 2010, Jon decided to come back to Vietnam and went to a village along Dak Bla River where Y Hem was living to declare his love to her and she nodded without hesitation. Since then, nothing could prevent their love from blossoming. After that, Jon traveled to Vietnam twice a year to visit his girlfriend. In June, 2011, Jon introduced Y Hem to his family in Belgium. The couple received a marriage license granted by Kon Tum’s authorities in June 13 and they are expected to wed by the end of this year. “Jon’s parents will travel to Kon Tum to attend our nuptials. Both of us want to stay in Vietnam,” Y hem said happily. “Jon gets on well with my family. He eats and drinks like Ba Na people. He wants our children to learn culture of Ba Na people. We will resettle in Belgium when our child is 15 years-old,” she added. Meanwhile Jon said: “I have visited many places in Vietnam. But when I visited Kon Tum, I found that Ba Na people were very kind. They are very honest, plain. They don’t know how to lie. I love Y Hem because of those virtues.” Tuoi Tre News.vn