For many people Friday evening is a time to relax after a busy work week. After a day of staring at a computer screen and dealing with what seems like a ton of work, I delay my trip home and stop by my favorite coffee shop, Satori - Slack & Savor at 18 Điện Biên Phủ street in Hanoi. Here, I retreat into a quiet corner where I can read my book without interruption, and order a latte. After a while, I suddenly notice that the coffee shop appears to be more crowded than usual. The customers are all attractively dressed and wearing fancy aqua eye masks. Is there a party going on? No. These people are preparing to do a little speed dating. I follow the sound of the song “City of Stars” to the next room, where Anh Tai explains the procedure to me. “I heard about this event on the Internet and found it’s quite interesting and is perfect for me because I’m still single. I have a lot of friends who are female, but they’re just friends. I hope this speed dating will help me find someone special. When you’re single, there are many ways to find your destiny. Speed dating might not be the worst choice. If you’re lucky, you might find the love of your life. If not, you still might make some new friends.”

Truong Huu Thinh shared his feelings: “This is the first time I’ve ever participated in an event like this. I feel nervous, strange, and happy, all mixed together. You know some people are really shy about an event like this, but, to tell you the truth, I’m now at the marriage age, so I’m hoping I’ll find my special someone at this event.” 

"Find your match" dating event, now available in Hanoi, lets you quickly meet a large number of people you might want to date (Source: Thao Trinh's official FB page)

“Find your match” is part of a project founded by Doctor Pepper and Merry Kingdom School. The project, which is called “After work”, offers fun and efficient ways for lonely hearts to find compatible partners. All personal information remains strictly confidential. It’s up to you which details about yourself you want to share with your partners. Ho Le Thao Trinh, head of the project, elaborates: “All the participants’ applications are carefully checked prior to the event and short interviews might be conducted if necessary. There are several formats for the event, one of which is pairing. Participants are paired up and rotate partners every 5 minutes. When time is up, the coordinator whistles and the participants switch seats so they can meet the next person. Interactive games might be interspersed with these speed introductions to help people get to know each other. At the end of the event if two people select each other, that’s successful outcome—a win-win.”     

Ho Le Thao Trinh, head of the “After work” project, which offers fun and efficient ways for lonely hearts to find compatible partners. (Source: Thao Trinh's official FB page)

Talking face to face with someone gives you a better sense of them than communicating with them online. The venue is quiet enough for people to converse comfortably, and romantic enough to inject some chemistry into a budding relationship. All participants are required to wear a mask covering half their face so they will concentrate more on the conversation and less on their partners’ looks. Participant Nguyen Thi Quyen said:“Wearing masks makes a big difference. It allows us to focus on the other person's personality and inner values instead of their looks. A mask also helps to overcome the problem of shyness when meeting new potential dating partners.”

An opportunity to meet lots of other single people in one evening can shorten the search for love and partnership and save much of the time that’s often wasted on blind dates that lead nowhere

Wearing masks makes a big difference. It allows us to focus on the other person's personality and inner values instead of their looks (Source: Thao Trinh's official FB page)

It can be tough to make real connections in a big, busy city like Hanoi. An opportunity to meet lots of other single people in one evening can shorten the search for love and partnership and save much of the time that’s often wasted on blind dates that lead nowhere. Thao Trinh again: “This is the second time “Find your match” has been held in Hanoi, and the fourth time nationwide. We offer singles a safer, easier way to meet new people, make new friends, and have a great time.  Some people say love is destiny and can’t be arranged. But the pace of modern life is so fast that it’s easy to miss out on one of the most important things, which is love. I think sometimes we should create a chance instead of desperately waiting for love to come.”  

If you’ve tried hard in love but can’t seem to find what you’re looking for, it’s time to give speed dating a try (Source: Thao Trinh's official FB page)

The speed dating event concludes with 40 percent matches, which means some lonely hearts have found each other. The fee of each event is 1 million VND (45 USD).