Boss of mail-order bride agency sets minimum income for hopeful Singapore men

Mail-order brides are not a new concept, especially in affluent countries.

In 2018, Mr Eric Koh established B & G Vietnamese Bride Marriage Agency with the aim to "help local men find Vietnamese ladies to become their partners for life".

However, his post on Dec 25 has raised eyebrows.

Seventeen-year-old Nguyen PT is looking for a Singapore man no older than 35 years old and with a minimum monthly income of $4,800.

Anyone not meeting these basic conditions will not even get to interact with Miss Nguyen, who will be open to marriage only after she turns 18.

The Facebook post has set tongues wagging in online forums, with netizens labelling Miss Nguyen as a gold digger.

At the same time, there were netizens who pointed out that the demands were realistic as "there is inflation everywhere".

Mr Koh told AsiaOne that he was responsible for setting the criteria and he included the income benchmark to ensure financial stability for his clients.

He wrote on Facebook: "Many marriages with foreign spouses break down due to financial issues."

"I want to make sure men do not think they can easily marry a young girl," the 64-year-old told AsiaOne.

"A man earning $4,800 will take home about $3,800. That is just the bare minimum to support a family as a sole breadwinner. Don't be sour grapes if you cannot afford a Vietnamese wife."

Mr Koh verifies an interested party's income by checking his payslip and bank account statement.

"My intention is to help Vietnamese ladies find good husbands. There are too many of them who married Singaporeans but ended up being divorced. I want to nip this issue in the bud."