--- title: "‘Some tried dating apps for 10 years’: The men helping S’pore bachelors find Vietnamese wives for $8,888" url: "/community-voices/some-tried-dating-apps-10-years-men-helping-spore-bachelors-find-vietnamese-wives-8888" published: "2026-10-18T09:46:43.000Z" updated: "2026-10-18T09:46:43.000Z" section: "Community Voices" authors: ["Farah Daley"] tags: ["matchmaking agencies","match-making","dating","Vietnamese"] --- # ‘Some tried dating apps for 10 years’: The men helping S’pore bachelors find Vietnamese wives for $8,888 In an age of dating apps and endless swiping, two Singaporean men are taking a different approach to helping lonely bachelors find love — by matching them with women in Vietnam. And their clients are not necessarily the older men one might expect. Alvin Kwa and Chris Zhuang, both 40, founded the Your Vietnam Chapter matchmaking agency in August 2025, helping men as young as 27 look for prospective wives. The secondary school friends, who previously worked in banking and marketing respectively, believe there is room to modernise an industry traditionally associated with older matchmakers and their clients. Kwa said the idea came after he watched a video about an older man running a similar business. “I feel that there’s a gap,” he told Stomp. “We are 40, and we have a lot of friends who are actually single. So we will be able to help them.” Zhuang, who also runs an e-commerce business, joined him as his business partner and was a natural choice. His wife is Vietnamese, and he regularly travels to Ho Chi Minh City, where she and their baby daughter currently live. He met his wife in Vietnam and dated her for about three years before they married in November last year. ![dating agency singapore, vietnamese wives, singapore marriage rate](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/d97f897af209ebf9ddcce7f3c014d2c1a5e8ff996ab211eaac1d4bc702b23cff) *Zhuang married his Vietnamese wife last year.* When they first floated the idea of starting a matchmaking agency, their families were skeptical. “Huh? Vietnamese bride? Can do or not?” Zhuang recalled them asking. But they decided to give the business a shot. ## Vietnamese women seen as family-oriented For the two friends, the decision to focus on Vietnam was partly a matter of familiarity. Zhuang said his marriage had given him a personal connection to the country, while the contacts he had established there made it a practical starting point for their business. He also described Vietnamese women as generally family-oriented. Kwa pointed to cultural similarities, noting that some Vietnamese women speak Chinese or English, which could make communication easier for Singaporean men. The founders said they may eventually expand their matchmaking services to other countries. Their venture comes as Singapore grapples with declining birth rates and renewed efforts to encourage marriage and parenthood. Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 in 2025, while the Government established a Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup in April 2026 to better support Singaporeans hoping to settle down and start families. Meanwhile, GovTech has introduced FirstDate, a dating pilot for unmarried public officers that uses an algorithm to match participants based on their preferences. But while FirstDate relies on technology to make introductions, Kwa and Zhuang are taking a more personal approach — one involving trips to Vietnam and plenty of relationship coaching. ## From dating app fatigue to marriage-minded matchmaking Their clients have ranged from 27 to about 55 years old, with backgrounds spanning business owners, executives and men earning more modest incomes. Some say they are simply too busy to date. Zhuang recalled one client who worked 12-hour shifts, while others had spent years trying unsuccessfully to find partners through dating apps. “We have a gentleman who tried dating apps for the past 10 years but tried and failed,” he said. Kwa added that some clients had stable jobs and good incomes, but struggled to talk to women. “We have a lot of guys who are nice guys, good income, but they do not know how to talk to girls,” he said. For others, the pressure of seeing their peers settle down has made finding a partner more urgent. “They are 40, 45, and feel, ‘My peers are all married with children’. They also want [that],” Kwa said. Zhuang said some older clients viewed the agency as their last resort. “If I still can’t match here, I’m going to stay single,” he recalled one sentiment expressed by a client. Unlike conventional dating apps, the agency caters to people who are specifically looking for marriage. Zhuang said couples could consider taking the next step after dating for one or two months, although the decision ultimately rests with them. ## How it works The agency charges a total of $8,888, split into an initial $2,000 payment and a further $6,888 when a client decides to proceed with a match. Based at Sim Lim Square, Your Vietnam Chapter operates strictly by appointment and does not accept walk-ins. The initial fee covers profiling, video calls with prospective partners and arrangements for a first trip to Vietnam, including accommodation for up to three nights. During an in-person matchmaking session in Ho Chi Minh City, a client typically meets four to six women selected according to his preferences. ![dating agency singapore, vietnamese wives, singapore marriage rate](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/5a0e88cf916c8889e69383309975a00507e2c75ec1da8b3db45342c6786d9d18) *A couple successfully matched by the agency.* The agency also helps with translation and, if the couple decides to pursue marriage, arrangements such as meeting the woman’s family and discussing traditional marriage customs. Kwa said the agency screens prospective male clients, looking at their employment, financial stability and other background information. This includes — perhaps most importantly — whether they are actually single. A history of violence or prolonged unemployment could be grounds for rejection, the pair said. The co-founders stressed that the women are not simply waiting to be chosen by Singaporean men. They have their own expectations of prospective partners and can decline a match. “Both sides must match, then we can go to the next stage,” he said. The women also come from a range of professional backgrounds. According to Kwa, the agency has helped women who are doctors, translators and models, including some earning above-average incomes in Vietnam. Zhuang said the women generally look for partners with stable incomes who share their hopes of starting a family. Kwa acknowledged that the industry has long faced the perception that men are effectively “buying” brides, but said this is not how the agency operates. ## From matchmaking to WhatsApp coaching For the co-founders, their work does not end once a couple has exchanged contact details. The pair also find themselves offering relationship advice — sometimes late into the night. Zhuang recalled clients messaging him anxiously when a woman took several hours to reply. Others needed help figuring out what to say. In one instance, he had to explain to a client that if a woman mentioned being at a hospital, the first thing to ask was whether she was all right. “You should care more about her first,” he said. He has even sent clients YouTube tutorials on how to communicate better with women. The constant messages were overwhelming at first, but the pair have since become accustomed to acting as unofficial relationship coaches. “We try not to treat them like a client, but like a brother or friend,” Zhuang said. ## Surprisingly successful matches Among the more memorable matches was a man in his early 50s who married a 23-year-old woman in Vietnam. Kwa said the man initially ruled out women who already had children. But after meeting several prospective partners, he fell for a woman who had a child. Despite his original preference, he decided to pursue the relationship. The pair attended the couple’s wedding in Tay Ninh, Vietnam last month. ![dating agency singapore, vietnamese wives, singapore marriage rate](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/a29499556571c2914145b0abf09885b995824ba8ea508bd047a829f525182d37) *Kwa and Zhuang attended the couple’s wedding in September.* Kwa recalled seeing the heartwarming sight of the groom happily carrying his wife’s child. The co-founders said in total, they had taken on about 30 clients this year and arranged approximately 20 matches. Of those, five couples were at various stages of planning or proceeding towards marriage registration at the time of the interview. The fastest match took three to four weeks, while the pair estimated that the process typically takes two to four months. However, a match does not necessarily mean a marriage, and some couples would continue dating for an extended period. For the two friends, the aim is to help people who are serious about settling down find a compatible partner. And despite the emphasis on efficiency, Kwa said clients should not expect perfection. “There’s no perfect (match),” he said. “You must know what are the two or three things that are most important to you.” Zhuang offered another piece of advice. “Treat your partner with respect,” he said. “Of course, we also ask the girl to treat [her] guy with respect. That’s important as well.”