Amid the fierce flood in the Central region, the online community was stirred up by the story of two tourists stranded on a train in Gia Lai.
According to information from Vietnam Railway (VNR), on November 18, the SE1 train carrying passengers from Hue to Khanh Phuoc station was forced to stop due to rising floodwaters.
On the ship, two foreign passengers were extremely worried about the risk of missing a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to France. The situation became urgent when all roads were cut off, many railways were temporarily blocked due to flooding.
Assistant Doan Thi Thao - Hanoi Railway Assistant Group - has proactively found a way to support passengers. Not afraid of danger, Ms. Thao contacted everywhere to find a solution to "rescue" the two international tourists.
After many hours of effort, she connected with an acquaintance who was a railway employee in the area. The support team used a motorbike to carry two passengers across residential routes, following safe points to reach Phu Cat airport on the morning of November 20, ensuring that the connecting flight to France was not interrupted.
Finally, the two passengers arrived at the airport on time to continue their journey back to France.
Returning home safely, female passenger Cindy Zhg shared a memorable story about her trip to Vietnam: "We boarded the train in Hue at 9:40 a.m. on November 18. Due to weather conditions, we were stuck on the train for two days and almost missed the flight. Thanks to Thao, we have found a solution. She took care of us very carefully throughout those two days. She is the best employee on the ship! Thank you and wish her all the best for the future."
Roman Labat, a French tourist who was supported, thanked the railway industry for providing amenities for passengers in the face of complex flood conditions.
"The service staff is always polite, friendly and ready to help. In particular, the arrangement of travel for passengers to the airport has been done excellently," Roman expressed.
Ms. Doan Thi Thao and her husband are both members of the Hanoi Railway Career Team, with more than 15 years of experience working with trains across Vietnam.
Ms. Thao said: "Our job is not only to serve passengers on the ship but also to accompany and help when customers are in difficulty. This is something that any railway employee or Vietnamese person would do when encountering a similar situation".
Ms. Thao's story not only warms the hearts of international tourists in the journey in the rainy season but also makes Vietnamese people extremely proud. Below the post, many people expressed their admiration for the kindness, professionalism, and spirit of overcoming difficulties to help others of the female railway attendant.
Vietnam Railway Corporation said that from November 16 to 20, floods and landslides caused flooding and landslides on many sections of the railway line from Quy Nhon to Nha Trang, posing a potential risk to train safety.
19 passenger trains were canceled on November 17-20, continuing 6 to be suspended on November 21, causing more than 2,000 passengers to have to wait for a long time at the stations.
To support customers, the unit has provided free 5,200 main meals, 4,200 side meals and drinks to passengers on suspended trains. The railway industry also facilitates ticket refunds for passengers getting off trains along the route, with a total of 11,000 tickets refunded.
The freight transport activities on the North - South route were also severely affected: 6 freight trains were canceled, 27 trains had to stop waiting. The total preliminary damage is estimated at nearly 10 billion VND, including 7.5 billion VND in ticket refunds, nearly 400 million VND in passenger service costs and 1.6 billion VND in damage due to canceling cargo ships.
Currently, workers and infrastructure managers are still on duty 24/7 at vulnerable points to check, handle incidents, and ensure safety before the train returns.
