Samenvatting

The wedding industry in Vietnam is undergoing significant changes due to globalization, social media, and international wedding trends. Meanwhile, traditional cultural values ​​and family expectations continue to play a crucial role in the decision-making process of young couples. This study aims to understand how young urban Vietnamese perceive traditional weddings and the reasons influencing their choice of hybrid weddings, a wedding that combines tradition and modernity. It also explores how they use weddings to reflect their personal and couple identities. 

 

The study employs a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews conducted with young Vietnamese people living in urban areas. This allows for a deeper understanding of the factors related to wedding perceptions, decision-making processes, identity expression, and wedding practices among young people. 

 

Research findings show that hybrid weddings are not simply a product of modernization or globalization. While participants desire to express their identity, personal stories, and create meaningful experiences by wedding, family remains a powerful influence on their wedding decisions. Therefore, hybrid weddings offer a solution to help couples balance personal desires with family expectations and traditional cultural values. The research also reveals that weddings are an important means for couples to express both their individual and shared identities, as well as to convey the values ​​and stories they cherish. 

 

The study contributes to research on weddings, identity, and cultural change by suggesting that family and ancestral values ​​play a significant role in the marriage decisions of young urban Vietnamese. The research findings suggest that hybrid weddings are the result of a continuous negotiation process between identity, family expectations, and broader social changes.