Taxi driver’s kind gesture to cash-strapped tourist in Ho Chi Minh goes viral

A Western woman encountered a predicament when she ran out of money to pay for her taxi ride in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The incident, recorded on the taxi’s in-car camera, unfolded around 5.30pm on a day late last month and has since gone viral, garnering close to a million views.

The woman seemed visibly distressed when she realised that she did not have enough money for the fare. Despite the language barrier, she managed to communicate her situation to the taxi driver.

She proposed to get out and proceed on foot, however, the driver reassured her and signalled that she didn’t have to worry. He insisted on driving her to her destination without concern for the fare.

Upon reaching the destination, the woman, feeling embarrassed, handed over all the money she had left. The driver simply nodded his appreciation, warmly bidding farewell to his passenger.

Once the video was posted online, it quickly gained attention with viewers praising the driver’s kind gesture towards a tourist in his country.

“People are often charged excessively when they are foreign customers. I’m sure they’d feel ashamed if they saw this video.”

The Ho Chi Minh taxi driver, a 28 year old man who has been driving taxis for over a year, often posts interesting travel records on social media. This time, however, he was taken aback by the influx of messages and calls from friends asking about the incident.

Benevolent Taxi Driver

He further explained that he drove approximately 6 to 7 kilometres that day. Although more than half of the fare was unpaid, he didn’t worry much. He said he would continue to act this way regardless of the passenger’s gender or age if he encountered such a situation, reported Sanook.

“When she got in the car and realised she didn’t have enough money, she said something indicating she wanted to get out of the car. I didn’t understand English so I used my phone to translate and told her I would still take her there. She apologised bashfully. When we arrived at the destination, she gave me about 40,000 dong.

“Many people ask me if I’m afraid of being cheated. But I think life is full of people. And the passenger wanted to get out of the car and walk on her own. I don’t think she has a reason to cheat. Everyone has moments like this in their lives. So who could leave a fellow human behind?

“I have received tips from customers many times. I consider helping people like this as a trade-off for the tips I received at that time. And it is a beautiful memory of my taxi driving experience.”

Follow more of The Thaiger’s latest stories on our new Facebook page HERE.