The wedding date was set for September 29 and preparations for it were in full swing when Dang Thien An learnt from the social media that his fiancé had been killed in an accident in Cu Chi District, HCMC, last Sunday morning.

An, 25, a native of southern Tien Giang Province, was in Japan when the accident happened. He flew home immediately after watching a live-streaming clip on Facebook that informed him of the tragedy.

Ann’s fiancé, D., also 25, used to work in Japan too, and had returned to Vietnam several months ago after her employment contract ended. She was working as an interpreter for a company in southern Binh Duong Province while preparing for their wedding.

An’s mother, 61-year-old Dang Thien Thanh, said her son and D. had been in love ever since they met as students at the HCMC University of Science and Technology. After graduation, D. went to Japan to work for an engineering company. An followed suit and joined his girlfriend later.

Thanh said that in July, when her son was still in Japan, she went to D.’s house on her own to ask her parents’ permission for the couple’s marriage.

"It was the first time I met D.," Thanh said. "I loved her very much and considered her my daughter."

On August 12, An returned to Vietnam on a business trip. He applied for a marriage license and planned to take his fiancé back to Japan after their wedding.

On August 25, An took a taxi from the airport straight to his fiancé’s house. He took a wedding bouquet from a friend and walked toward D.’s portrait. He sang her a song, knelt down and pulled out a pair of wedding rings. He put one before her portrait and the other one on his finger.

Dozens of people live-streamed the event.