Western tourists stuck on ship in Khanh Hoa for 2 days, almost missed flight

Stuck on a train for nearly two days during historic floods in Khanh Hoa, two tourists were worried about missing their flight back to France. They were assisted by railway staff to cross the flooded area to reach the airport on time.

Tourists Cindy (left) and Romain Labat take a photo with flight attendant Dang Thi Thao on the SE1 train stuck at Khanh Phuoc station, November 19. Photo: Cindy Zhg .

During the historic flood in Khanh Hoa, train SE1 ( Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City) had to stop at Khanh Phuoc station (Gia Lai province) on November 19 due to rising water.

Taking the train from Hue station on November 18, two tourists, Cindy and Romain Labat, were stuck for nearly two days, unable to continue their journey to Ho Chi Minh City as planned. Both needed to be at Tan Son Nhat airport to catch their flight back to France.

Realizing the urgent situation, flight attendant Dang Thi Thao (Hanoi railway flight attendants) tried to help the two tourists.

While the roads were deeply flooded and the railway was temporarily blocked, she contacted everywhere to find a way to get passengers out of the flooded area.

The railway industry had to stop 10 trains due to heavy rain in the South Central provinces. Photo: VNR .

After several hours, Thao connected with a railway colleague in the area. By motorbike, the support team took the two passengers along safe residential roads to Phu Cat airport (Gia Lai province) on the morning of November 20 to catch a flight back to Ho Chi Minh City.

"We arrived at the airport on time, without missing our flight. The flight attendant took great care of us during the two days we were 'stuck' on the ship," said tourist Cindy.

Romain Labat said that despite the complex and unpredictable weather conditions, the railway company still ensures free food and good living conditions.

"Our flight attendant was very kind and always ready to help. She even specially assisted us at the airport, which was really excellent. Thank you Thao for taking such good care of us," Romain expressed.

Thao said her job is not only to serve passengers on the train but also to accompany and help them when they encounter difficulties.

"This is what any train attendant or Vietnamese person would do when faced with a similar situation," she said.

Heavy rain and flood at Tu Bong station (Khanh Hoa province) and Km 1326+000, morning of November 19. Photo: VNR.

Thao and her husband work together at the Hanoi Railway Attendant Group, and have been working on cross-Vietnam trains for over 15 years. Their work often takes them away from home, and they face many unexpected incidents.

Representatives of Vietnam Railways (VNR) highly appreciated the actions of flight attendant Dang Thi Thao. The unit said that the story not only helped two international tourists escape from being stranded but also spread a good image of railway workers.

Since November 16, heavy rains have caused many railway sections through Gia Lai province (formerly Binh Dinh) to Khanh Hoa to be deeply flooded, with rocks and soil from upstream flooding the rails. The North-South railway section of Dieu Tri - Nha Trang was flooded up to 0.4 m, forcing the railway industry to temporarily suspend 10 passenger trains.

As the water level continued to rise at Dieu Tri station, the railway industry evacuated 3 trains SE1/SE3/SE7 to neighboring stations (Binh Dinh station, Phuoc Nhon station). Passengers were served free meals and drinks during this time. Other passengers were supported to refund or return tickets within a maximum of 30 days.

Scene of floodwaters flowing through the Central Railway. The railway industry was forced to cancel 10 trains through the Central region due to the impact of prolonged rain and floods. Passengers were refunded their tickets free of charge.

Source: https://znews.vn/khach-tay-mac-ket-2-ngay-tren-tau-o-khanh-hoa-suyt-tre-chuyen-bay-post1604291.html