SINGAPORE: Finding love in this day and age may be more challenging than in times past, which might explain the despair felt by one Singaporean man who has spent $12,000 over the past three years in search of a match, but so far, has had no luck.
The story of Mr Wang was first told in Shin Min Daily News on Sunday (Feb 9). He said that he signed up with a matchmaking agency called True Love Vietnam Bride Matchmaker in 2021. Unhappy with the lack of a favourable outcome after all this time, he is now saying that the agency cheated him.
The owner of the agency has denied this, saying that Mr Wang, 43 years old, is also responsible for his lack of success.
Among the women introduced to Mr Wang by True Love Vietnam Bride Matchmaker, two matches seemed somewhat serious. Three years ago, the first match was with a woman called “Ah Hua”. However, it’s unclear whether she was already engaged when Mr Wang paid a $2,000 betrothal fee and travelled to Vietnam to marry her.
He claims Ah Hua told him that to call off her engagement, Mr Wang needed to pay immediately, with their wedding scheduled for the following month. However, they argued afterwards, and the wedding never took place.
In 2024, Mr Wang was introduced to a woman named “Ah Lian” through the agency. They appeared to be on track for marriage, but when Ah Lian tried to enter Singapore, she was denied entry for undisclosed reasons.
Mr Wang went to considerable expense for her. The agency allegedly told Mr Wang that it would cost him $10,000 to be introduced to Ah Lian and to bring her into the city-state. And yet she couldn’t come. Including the $2,000 betrothal fee for the first woman, Mr Wang has already forked out $12,000 but has yet to meet the woman of his dreams.
The matchmaking agency’s side
Mark Lin, who founded the agency, said that Mr Wang has already met 20 women through True Love Vietnam Bride Matchmaker.
“Wang dragged it out for so long and has seen so many women but still can’t get married. Whose problem is that?” he is quoted as saying.
He also denied that Ah Hua was engaged to another man when he introduced her to Mr Wang. She had previously been engaged but had already broken up with her ex.
Mr Lin added that the bulk of the payments Mr Wang made went towards a Vietnamese agency that sought partners for their clients. Having spent $7,000 to $8,000 in agency fees on behalf of Mr Wang, Mr Lin says he “didn’t make much money at all” from him.
Mr Lin also said that Mr Wang has been very cautious regarding financial matters, wondering if the women he matched are only after his money.
While an appeal can be made for Ah Lian to enter Singapore, this could take weeks. However, Mr Lin said he had advised his client to register the marriage first, as this would help her chances of getting into Singapore, but Mr Wang did not do this.
Mr Wang, who has never been in a relationship, expressed the desire to still pair up, saying, “Festive seasons feel empty. I truly hope to find a partner and start a family.” /TISG
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