Wedding gifts can be tricky business for guests, and though Vietnamese custom dictates cash gifts instead of presents like in the West, choosing the right amount is difficult.
Normally, popping your cash into an envelope then dropping it into a box avoids any awkwardness, but one Vietnamese couple dispensed with this tradition and left some of their guests red-faced.
The newly-weds used POS (point of sale) technology to receive wedding gifts from their guests, with a device set up at the table where a box would usually sit.
Vietnamese internet users were gripped by a short video of the process, with Industry 4.0 brought to life before them, dispensing of the need for paper envelopes or money and transferring money directly into the couple’s bank accounts.
Some guests enjoyed the novel approach, but plenty of others were embarrassed, taking plenty of time to give their gift, perhaps gripped with fear they weren’t handing over enough virtual cash.
Internet users were split, with some appreciating the convenience of the technology and others lamenting the death of traditional wedding customs.
Whatever side of the debate you’re on, there is one thing to remember: save the rice wine for after you give your gift, as typing in an extra accidental zero could make it a wedding to remember, for all the wrong reasons. — VNS