Two tourists from Hong Kong are selling their own pictures in the Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area in Ho Chi Minh City to earn money for their daily meals while waiting for new visas after being robbed off all their possessions, including passports.
On Thursday, in a rented room in Binh Thanh District, Kit Kay, one of the two victims, told a local newspaper he and his girlfriend Leung Ka Kei, who goes by the nickname Doris, both of Chinese origin and born in 1988, arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on December 10, their first destination on a tour of Southeast Asia.
On their first day in the city, they were very impressed by the beautiful sites and food here.
Around 11:30am on December 13, while walking near their rented apartment, Doris had a feeling that someone on a scooter was getting close to her. The couple didn’t even know what had happened before the motorbike sped away and disappeared. Doris went into to a panic when she couldn’t find her small bag on her neck. She then shouted: “My bag! My bag”. But, it was already too late.
“After getting robbed, we shouted for help from people in the area, but nobody could help us because the bag-snatchers ran away. They committed the robbery so quickly that we weren’t even able to tell how many there were or which color their bike was,” Kay continued.
“They might have used a sharpened object to cut off the bag’s carrying rope,” Kay said.
Doris said the bag contained with EUR100, credit cards, an ATM card, an Iphone, and their passports.
The couple has reported the robbery to local police with the hope that they could get back their passports, and they have also sought help from Chinese Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
The couple sells pictures on Bui Vien Street, which has attracted sympathy from many people. Photo: blogger Poly
Photo: blogger Poly
Photo: blogger Poly
Photo: blogger Poly
Photo: blogger Poly
While waiting to see if they will receive their belongings from local police or get new passports from the consulate, they have come up with an idea to sell all of the photos they shot in countries they had previously visited for food on Bui Vien Street in District 1.
On a piece of cardboard, they wrote: “All robbed, pls support.”
On a third piece of cardboard, they warn others to be careful: “We are from Hong Kong. Just watch out for professional scooter robbers! Kay and Doris”.
They wrote information about their loss in Vietnamese on a paper, asking people with any information to call 0908.012123.
Their story and photographs, posted on a blog run by a Vietnamese blogger nicknamed Poly on Wednesday, have spread quickly in the online community and attracted sympathy from many netizens.
The duo said many local people are very kind and have helped them with food, water, and clothes.
“Some people have offered to give me up to VND500,000 but we refused to accept.”
“We don’t set price for our photos. We just sell them to seek help, not to earn money,” Kay said.
Kay said he invited his girlfriend to visit Vietnam after finishing their travel in European countries.
“I’ve heard that Vietnam is a hospitable country and has beautiful landscapes, delicious food, and gorgeous beaches. Therefore we had been eager to come here. But, it’s so unlucky…” Kay said.
When asked about his opinion on the robbery in which he and his girlfriend were the victims, Kay said: “Every country on the planet has crimes like robbery against tourists, and Vietnam is no exception. This is an unwanted incident. I will tell our story to seek support and warn other people.”
According to Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, a resident living on Nguyen Xi Street in Ward 13, Binh Thanh District found the couple’s credit cards, passports and other important papers and handed them over to local police after hearing about their situation through local media.
“I’m touched by the kindness of the Vietnamese people . A hotel owner let me stay free of charge. We will fly back to Hong Kong today (December 16)," Kay said after getting back the papers from local police.
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