just want to share

I was complaining to some officer at Halong City harbor about the ticket I couldn’t use to see Halong Bay. I found the fact that it’s impossible to see Halong Bay without joining a Tour organized by local people. But I have already bought a ticket and thought I would get a seat in a boat to see around Halong Bay. I realized what a big mistake I have made. “Is it one of many scams I read about Vietnam?” I asked myself. I wouldn’t let them sell me ticket for useless. If I couldn’t be in a boat at least I could have my money back. They should give me solution. I was so depressed arguing with people who spoke so limited English. In a feeling of loneliness and hopeless a man wearing uniform approached me. I was sure he was in charge there because all officer around respected him. I read his name was written on his uniform, Nguyen Van Linh. To see him had empathy to me, I told him my problem. Unfortunately, he didn’t speak English at all only Vietnamese. We spoke with different languages and tried to understand each other by looking body language. He seemed understand what happened then took me to an officer to help me. From one officer to another officer, felt like a ping pong ball, all I got was just misunderstanding and deadlock. When he realized that nobody at the harbor could help me, he took me to ticket counter and asked the officers there to give me help. I told the officers about what happened. With a very limited English the officers could speak, I explained with the rest of my energy about my problem and what I wanted. Finally they gave me back my money. The day after, I came again to the harbor for Halong Bay trip. This time by joining a Tour. When I was going to enter the boat I saw Mr Linh. He smiled to me and said something in Vietnamese while pointed the boat. I was sure he wanted to say “You can go to Halong Bay now with this boat, you will be safe”. I could only say thank you for his help. I found that Mr Linh threated me as a father helped his daughter to get out from trouble. Without his help I wouldn’t get my money back, wouldn’t understand how to see around Halong Bay. It’s amazing how he could understand me just from my body language. The way he helped me changed my premature opinion about Vietnamese. Mr Nguyen Van Linh made me realized that I have no right to judge a nation just by what people said. By his helped I learnt that each nations is a place where either good people and bad people live in.