Hong Hon, 29, Ninh Binh (left), and Hoang Anh, 26, HCMC, during their flight over Bali, Indonesia, in July 2025. -- Photo courtesy of Hong Hon.
HANOI: Hong Hon proposed to his girlfriend from a helicopter, with the words “Will you marry me” on the grass 150 meters below.
The 29-year-old from northern Ninh Binh province says he rented a Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter to fly around Bali, Indonesia, during their trip there last month because he knew his 26-year-old girlfriend, Hoang Anh, loved romantic gestures.
The flight began at Uluwatu Temple and took the couple over the sea, islands and other landmarks. Fifteen minutes in the helicopter descended to 150 meters. Hon pointed to the grass below, where a proposal message on a white paper left her stunned.
He held her hand, gave her the ring and said, "Will you marry me? I want to be with you and make you happy for the rest of my life."
She teared up and nodded. Hoang Anh said: "Felt like I was the main character in a Korean drama. This was probably the shortest yet most memorable flight of my life."
Hon chose Bali for the proposal because it held many memories from when they first dated and they had once promised to return, he explains.
To surprise her, he bought the tickets in advance and invited her on a vacation in the middle of July.
Before the trip, he planned every detail, from renting the helicopter to finding an open field on Bali for the proposal message. He picked a route that passed scenic spots such as Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, Uluwatu Temple and Melasti Beach.
He spent nights preparing his speech for the 30-minute flight. He also coordinated with local videographers and photographers to capture the moments. "I did all of this just to see her smile and hear her say yes," he says.
On their last day in Bali, Hon told an unaware Anh that they would take a helicopter ride for sightseeing with a photographer.
The aerial proposal video she later posted on social media went viral, with comments expressing admiration and good wishes to the couple.
There is a long backstory to his romantic efforts. Both studied at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. When Anh was a freshman, Hon had just graduated and was preparing to work in Singapore.
In 2019 he saw Anh with a smile in a photo on the university’s website and searched for her contact information. He emailed her an introduction and several pages confessing his feelings, but she ignored it, fearing it was a scam though it had his full contact details.
When she did not reply he found her home address and began sending handwritten letters, gifts, teddy bears, fruits, and flowers. "At first I was scared and refused them, but when I saw the name Hong Hon, I checked my email and realized who he was."
But she remained skeptical about a long-distance relationship with someone she had never met. She later left for Switzerland to study.
For two years Hon continued to reach out and asked to meet. In August 2021, when she returned to Vietnam during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hon was on the same repatriation flight and told her again. This time she was moved and agreed to give him a chance.
"When I returned to Vietnam after my studies, he was still working in Singapore but flew back once or twice a month just to spend a few hours with me."
The couple plan to take wedding photos in Finland next March. - Vietnam Express
