Nguyễn Thị Thảo was on her way to English class last week when the heaviest rainfall in 40 years hit HCM City. Her motorbike immediately stalled.

After pushing her bike for 15 minutes, she noticed a “Free Rescue, Repair Services” sign on the sidewalk set up by three young men.

“After they repaired my bike, I offered them some money. But they turned it down and told me to have a nice trip,” said Thảo, a 23-year-old resident of Tân Bình District.

In recognition of their help to Thao and many other drivers, the Union of Vietnamese Youth Association on October 4 awarded certificates of merit to the men who had offered services on Phan Huy Ích Street in Tân Bình District.

Two of the men, Phạm Như Thắng, 35, and Nguyễn Tài Dũng, 28, are both natives of Quảng Ngãi and work as marketing agents for garment firms, while Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, 25, works for an auto company.

“Seeing all the drivers struggle and desperately looking for repair shops, we just wanted to help them,” Dũng said.

Rainfall late Monday afternoon and evening of October 3 caused many motorbikes to break down, many of them submerged 50 - 60cm under water.VNS