Mr. Arshaad Yousuph (32 years old, from South Africa) has traveled and stayed in Nha Trang for nearly 3 months. He has a difficult-to- dienrate affection for Nha Trang. In particular, he felt the true affection of the locals living around him.
At the end of November, he flew back to South Africa to bring beautiful memories to preserve in Vietnam. Especially, at a time when many areas in Khanh Hoa were affected by severe floods, Mr. Arshaad was not afraid of danger to ask for help from local people.
On the evening of November 18, while having dinner at a restaurant, the male tourist began reading many postings asking for help in flooded areas in Khanh Hoa on social networks.
He recounted: A young girl posted a report that her house was tilted to 90 degrees, the whole family was trapped inside as the water rose. She seemed very panicked. At that time, I felt helpless. The restaurant staff said don't worry, but I couldn't help but feel the fear in everyone's voice."
After finishing the meal, Mr. Arshaad rushed in the rain to the local military command headquarters to ask for relief guidance. However, due to bad weather, the city had to cut off electricity, telecommunications lines were unstable, and Arshaad lost contact with the authorities.
Arshaad had to return to his hotel, his mind was confused. He stayed up all night to watch the weather and update the news to see what he could help the people.
On the evening of November 19, he decided to directly participate in rescuing local people here. Because after a long day, the male tourist could not do anything but constantly think about the calls for help and the image of the elderly and children being isolated. The rain has not stopped.
I know I am not a heldo, not a marine, not a big muscle. I only have height, strength, and a ready heart. I am good at swimming, but I have not received rescue training, Mr. Arshaad said about himself.
At 11pm, despite being advised by friends, the male tourist walked about 3km to a large supermarket in Tay Nha Trang ward because this was a temporary shelter for people who were rescued from the flood by the authorities.
Using the dich thuat application to communicate with local people, Mr. Arshaad was given food, life jackets and joined a local rescue team to transport food and drinking water on a small raft.
He recounted: When the team started going, another team returned and reported that the water was too high, unable to go further. I don't fully understand, but it's clear that we can't reach the families who are stuck. My heart was broken. I returned home at nearly midnight and couldn't sleep."
At 6:00 a.m. on November 20, Mr. Arshaad continued to return to the relief point. This time, he joined the volunteer group led by Mr. Nguyen Van Thien, former Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Khanh Hoa province and was coordinated to approach severely isolated areas such as Vinh Ngoc, Vinh Phuong and neighboring areas.
The male tourist directly participated in distributing food and drinks to people through small boats and rafts and supported the supply of electricity to Yersin Nha Trang General Hospital.
It hurts to see Vietnamese families cry because they have lost everything. I also felt pain in my heart. I just want to hug them and say that they are not alone. I would like to thank the rescue teams, especially the brave volunteers I met that night, the people I knew their names to and the people I didn't know in time. You are the real heroes, Arshaad confided.
In addition, the male tourist expressed his hope to return to Vietnam next year to continue to help those in difficult circumstances and hope to build a future in Nha Trang. For him, Vietnam has deeply engraved in his heart the beautiful images.
