{"id":7396,"date":"2021-06-03T12:39:10","date_gmt":"2021-06-03T04:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=7396"},"modified":"2022-03-23T10:53:56","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T02:53:56","slug":"saigon-airport-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/saigon-airport-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Saigon Airport Staff Pay For Lottery Ticket Seller’s Airfare So He Can Fly Home To Visit His Father"},"content":{"rendered":"

Client with disabilities gets help from Saigon airport staff<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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“Approachable” and “generous” – are some of the most common words used by visitors to describe Saigon residents. The people here are known for being extra welcoming, even during the country’s largest medical crisis and economic downturns.<\/span><\/p>\n

This impression couldn’t be any truer for 29-year-old <\/span>Nguy\u1ec5n Qu\u1ed1c Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng<\/b>, a H\u1ea3i D\u01b0\u01a1ng native who moved here 3 years ago. Thanks to the kindness of Saigon airport and airways staff, the underprivileged lottery ticket seller<\/a> was able to fly home to visit his sick father.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s how the story unfolded.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He couldn\u2019t afford airfare to go home<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"Saigon
\nImage credit: Thanh Nien<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

On 31st May 2021, Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng received news of his father\u2019s worsening health condition and rushed to the airport. However, he didn\u2019t have enough money to pay for the airfare from Saigon to Hai Duong, which cost VND900,000 (~USD39.17)<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Besides, his disability in his hands also made it impossible for him to complete the check-in routine and was thus denied boarding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Facing one problem after another, Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng had no choice but to walk away. <\/span>However, at the last minute when his hopes were gone, a miracle happened.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Saigon
\nImage credit: Thanh Nien<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Touched by his story, some airport security and Bamboo Airways staff offered to pay for all of his airfare and helped him complete the check-in routine. They also gave Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng a small sum of money to tide over until he reached home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to the kindness of those strangers, Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng was able to get on the last flight home that day.<\/span><\/p>\n

At 9.30PM, he landed in H\u1ea3i D\u01b0\u01a1ng and was glad to find that his dad\u2019s health was improving.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was so touched when receiving the flight ticket. I thought all doors were closed for me, yet I still got home to see my dad. I used the donations that the airport staff gave me to buy some gifts for my family members. They were all so glad that I met so many kind people out there. Those strangers\u2019 kind gestures warmed my heart enormously,” Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng reminisced on his heart-warming experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little do those strangers know that not only did their compassion help Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng reach home, but they have also sustained the man until this day.<\/p>\n

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Saigon residents’ kindness is his strength and stay<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"Saigon
\nImage credit: Thanh Nien<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>Thanh Nien<\/span><\/a><\/em>, Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng was born with a wrinkly skin disorder and without fingers. When he was in grade 7, he dropped out of school after being bullied for his disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

3 years ago, he moved to Saigon and made a living by selling lottery tickets<\/a>. For those who don’t know, selling lottery tickets is among the lowest-paying jobs in Vietnam. Lottery ticket sellers are some of the hardest-working people but rarely earn enough to make ends meet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For 1 lottery ticket sold at <\/span>VND10,000 (~USD0.44)<\/b>, a seller earns only <\/span>VND1,000 (~USD0.044)<\/b> from it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although disadvantaged, Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng isn\u2019t helpless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From free bus rides to free food, Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng has been the beneficiary of countless strangers\u2019 kindness. Some people, after buying lottery tickets from him, even tipped him extra money to buy drinks for himself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany people with disabilities have to sell lottery tickets in wheelchairs. I\u2019m more fortunate than them because I can still walk. Many Saigon residents that I don\u2019t know are more than willing to help me when they come across me. That\u2019s one of the reasons why I can survive in this town all by myself for the past 3 years,\u201d Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Client gets help from airport staff to fly home\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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All\u2019s well that ends well. A client who couldn\u2019t afford his airfare finally got home to see his dad, and the airport staff lived up to Saigon\u2019s reputation of southern hospitality and generosity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only does this story set a great example of work ethics and empathy, but it also reminds us that kindness still prevails under the most difficult circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

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