On November 26, when completing the procedures to return the room to a German guest, Ms. Dao Thi Thanh Hai (owner of Halong Land Hotel, Tuan Chau Ward, Quang Ninh Province) was very surprised by the guest's message.
Ms. Hai expressed: "He took out 10 million VND and a letter from his pocket, expressing his desire to ask me to send it to people affected by floods after watching the news about Vietnam on the media. I was very touched, I also told him that people in flooded areas currently need food to eat in the coming days. And he agreed to convert this amount into rice to transfer to the people of the South".
After giving his money to the hotel owner, at 12 noon, the guest got in a car and went to Noi Bai airport, Hanoi to return to his hometown. Ms. Hai quickly contacted a rice seller and bought 83 bags (10kg each), with a total weight of 830kg.
She said: "I have contacted the rice dealer, who has also been selling rice without interest in recent days to help kind-hearted people who can transfer rice to people in flooded areas. After buying the rice, I also took a photo and reported it to my guest. My eldest daughter is an interpreter who helps me complete this task.
Responding to Lao Dong, Mr. Andreas Scholz, a German tourist, said that he himself regularly participates in charity activities in his hometown. As an engineer, he believes that his income is enough to share the difficulties of the Vietnamese people.
"At the end of last year, I came to Vietnam. This year, I decided to return to visit more places such as Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Quang Ninh... However, this time coming to Vietnam, I read the news that many places have suffered from prolonged floods. When I saw photos of many people having to sit on the roofs to avoid floods, I decided to use a little of my money to donate. Because I was in a nearly similar situation, I thought I had to act.
Mr. Andreas stayed at Ms. Hai's family's hotel in the summer of 2024. This year, returning to Quang Ninh, he continued to book rooms for 3 days and 2 nights.
He is a sociable, pleasant person, very affectionate with the youngest daughter of my family. This year, back here, he even brought us German candy. During our stay, we simply talked about daily activities or suggested destinations in Quang Ninh to him. Therefore, when he wanted to donate to people in flooded areas, I was very surprised, the hotel owner revealed.
In the letter, in addition to expressing his desire to help flood victims, the male tourist also praised the friendly and kind Vietnamese people, the wonderful country and the delicious food.
Mr. Quynh, representative of the Green Community organization, said: "Among the hearts sent to us, this is the first international guest. We are very grateful for his heart. At 1:30 p.m. on November 27, our goods and necessities garbage truck began moving and moving towards Lam Dong province with the support assigned by the Politburo to Quang Ninh province".
