Business so bad, girls have to live in my home
By Crystal Chan
SOME men may envy Mr Mark Lin. His wife allows him to play host to three pretty Vietnamese women in their flat.
But he has no designs on them, except to get them married off.
You see, Mr Lin is the owner of a match-making agency, Vietnam Brides International.
And he puts up some of the women he brings to Singapore at his Bishan flat as he can no longer afford to rent an apartment for them.
He lives in the four-room flat with his wife and three daughters, aged 13 to 18.
He has also made arrangements with a friend to house two other Vietnamese girls, rent-free.
He said: 'My neighbours know what business I do so they aren't surprised the girls are staying with me.
'But my wife isn't happy because she's a traditional Taiwanese wife. She's happy when I'm doing well but now that I don't earn as much, she refuses to sleep with me.
'Now, she takes one room with our daughters so I have to sleep alone.'
Like some other businesses, the global economic slowdown and rising inflation has hit match-makers because when pockets are hit, fewer people want to pay to get hitched.
Mr Lin, who has been in the business since 2002, said: 'During the peak period from 2003 to 2006, I had six to seven girls married off in a month.
'Now, I'm lucky if I have even one or two.'
He was raking in up to $70,000 a month in those good years. Now it can be less than $10,000.
'It's difficult to make money now because there are several agencies doing the same business,' he said.
'And it's not every day that you need to get a wife. My shop isn't a supermarket where people need to buy things every day.'
Earlier, when business was good, he housed the girls in a rented private apartment.
CHAPERONE
He also hired a Singaporean woman to chaperone the girls.
He was spending $2,400 a month on rent and the chaperone's pay.
Now, he is both chaperone and landlord who does not collect rent.
He said: 'Business is so bad that I have to cut costs. I'm lucky to have a friend who is willing to take in the girls as I don't want too many people living in my flat.
'I've thought of setting up shop in some other countries, but I don't have the contacts.'
At 11am every day, Mr Lin takes the girls to his Orchard Road agency, where they sit and wait for potential spouses.
They go home at 8pm.
The girls, from Ho Chi Minh City, are not fussy about their accommodation and remain hopeful of getting married.
One of them, Miss Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen, 21, said: 'As long as we can find a husband, where we stay isn't a problem. We came here because Singapore has a better standard of living than back in the village.'
She added that their 'boss' treats them well.
She said: 'Mark gives us $250 a month for our food so we can go to the hawker centre for our meals.
'We try not to go out to eat so we can save the money. We have bread and instant noodles for breakfast, and for lunch and dinner we have rice and dishes at food courts.
'Sometimes, we manage to save about $100 a month.'
At the flat, the girls have to use the toilet near the kitchen, while Mr Lin and his family use the toilet in the master bedroom.
PRIVACY INVADED
Mr Lin's wife declined to be interviewed, but he said: 'She feels her privacy is being invaded if outsiders know her bathroom habits. She also doesn't like seeing the girls' underwear in the same toilet.'
His daughter, Wan Xian, 18, a polytechnic student, admitted that she and her sisters are unhappy about the current arrangement.
She said: 'Our home feels more cramped now that there are eight people in the flat. But we understand that Dad is doing this only because his business isn't doing well now.'
A FRIEND IN NEED
Mr Lin's friend, Mr Roger Ngai, 35, a food supplier, who is helping him to house two other women, was also his client.
Mr Lin's agency introduced the Vietnamese girl who became his wife.
Mr Ngai, who has a 2-year-old daughter, said: 'We have been friends for five years, so I'm willing to help him. If not for him, I wouldn't be married today.'
He said his wife gets along with the girls as they come from the same background.
'There's hardly any friction between my family and the girls as they come home only at night to sleep,' he said.
'They have to go to Mark's office in the morning and they're there the whole day.
'Mark gives them an allowance so I don't have to worry about feeding and transporting them.'
KNN wat kind of wife is dis??
I say ditch the bitch n grab any 1 of the viet girl. May i suggest the 1 in black shirt...
:p
