Before heading home, German tourist leaves emotional letter and US$380 to support Vietnamese flood victims
DNO - Before leaving for home, German visitor Andreas Scholz quietly left behind VND10 million (US$380) and a handwritten letter at his hotel in Ha Long, asking the hotel owner to use the money to buy rice for flood victims in Vietnam’s south-central region.
A farewell of kindness
On November 26, just before checking out, Mr. Scholz, known affectionately as Andy, handed the hotel owner, Ms. Thanh Hai, an envelope containing his cashe donation and a heartfelt note.
He wrote that he had followed the news and seen many images of the devastating impact of recent storms and flooding in Vietnam’s south-central region, including Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Khanh Hoa provinces. Deeply touched, he hoped his small act could help, even just a little.
“I love Vietnam, the people are friendly and helpful, the land is so amazing and also the food you made perfect…”, Andy wrote.
Ms. Hai said she was stunned. She immediately fulfilled his request. The entire donation was used to purchase 830 kg of rice, which was delivered to a volunteer rescue team working in flood-hit areas, under Andy’s name.
Andy, a German engineer, shared that he regularly donates to charity in his home country and wanted to extend that same spirit to people who may need it more.
This is his second visit to Vietnam. His first trip, in December last year, left him with warm memories of Sa Pa, Ninh Binh, Hue, Da Nang centre and Hoi An ancient town that strengthened his affection for this Southeast Asian country.
During his stay in Ha Long this time, he closely followed reports on the foods in Vietnam’s south-central region. “I felt I had to do something. In that moment, I felt like I was part of this country,” he said.
Loving hearts for Vietnam
Andy’s story has since spread widely on social media, drawing gratitude and praise from the Vietnamese community. It is another reminder of the compassion often shown by international visitors in times of hardship.
Just last month, tourists from Colombia, the Netherlands and the United States joined local residents in cleaning and repairing storm-damaged homes in Tuyen Quang and Thai Nguyen, small but meaningful acts of solidarity.