Sharing is caring! The Make A Wish Foundation is a fantastic concept and charity! Well, two days ago I had a chance to fulfill not one but two wishes of two very special people of Vietnam.
One was a 14 year old girl who’s wish was to pick pocket a tourist with a lot of money in his money belt.
The above photo of a little girl eating noodle soup at curbside is part of the series I was shooting when the theft happened.
I am pretty careful and organized but in the 6th week of travel I slipped on this beautiful day making her wish come true.
I admit I also made a mistake of not having backup money in my other bags so everything was taken from me, my credit card and my cash in Vietnamese dong and in US dollars.
I was photographing on the street and as usual it caused quite scene, this time really a lot of kids gathered around me bumping into me wanting me to take their photos and wanting to view the camera’s display.
It was becoming a bit too chaotic to take any decent pictures so I decided to leave the area and as I started to walk away I immediately noticed my money belt being gone (not from around my waist but from my side pocket of my cargo pants).
I have been exercising (walking) a lot since my trip started and have been on asian diet which might have prevented me getting a heart attack at that moment.
I went back to the exact location but I knew it was too late even 5 seconds after it happened.
I immediately went to the police (where my Lonely Planet Southeast Asia Phrase Book came very handy) and reported the theft.
I must say I was very lucky but also I have to give it to the Vietnamese Police by next morning they had my money belt back and the 14 year old girl apprehended. I was shocked they even found her I really thought chances were slim to track her down because the nature and commonality of pick pocketing.
Naturally some money in the amount of 200 dollars and 600,000 dongs were gone which is about 37 dollars. It might not even been the girl who took the money, it could have been the police but it does not matter, getting my credit card back was most important to me.
First wish fulfilled! It must have been a priceless moment; I can imagine her happiness when she opened the money belt and was seeing all those bills.
After doing some Mickey Mouse paperwork I was ready to leave the police station when I was suggested to give some “beer money” (exact words) to the head of police.
So I acted stupid and said: OK, how about 100,000 dongs (which is 6 dollars but at 10,000 dongs per beer it is 10 beers)!
The man said the boss wanted 500,000 dongs ($31.25) I almost busted out laughing but happily gave him the 500,000 VND. The second wish fulfilled!
I really did not mind it and immediately thought of being robbed twice in 24 hours makes a lot better blog post.
So now I am about $260 dollars thinner but hey, Dong happens!
On with the trip!
If You enjoyed or found this page useful, please consider linking to it.
Simply copy and paste the code below into your web site (Ctrl+C to copy)
It will look like this: My Two Donations To The Make A Wish Foundation Of Vietnam
January 14th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!!
How can you write so happily about this???:)
I could easily imagine the little girl’s story being not as dramatic bcs you got your things back (except for the money), but come on, the head of the police station???PFFFF…how pathetic…they apprehend a little girl for doing something THEY THEMSELVES also do???
Btw, when I was in Poland, I got robbed the first day I was in Poland…I arrived to the hotel and quickly decided to take a trip to the town with my new friends there and on our way home on the bus, a guy stole my purse from my belt (övtáska) although it was right on my belly and it was very hard to take my purse out from there…and I noticed it was him the moment he got off the bus but when I also got off the bus I couldn’t see him anymore…:S
There was a bicycle race that day in the city so my polish friend helped me to tell the policemen there what happened and I gave them my hotel address…all week long I was having a bad time, every night I dreamt about how I would have started fighting with the guy, if I would have seen him after he got off the bus…and on the last day before leaving, the police station phoned that someone found my purse (which was original leather and pretty new at that time, I thought surely the guy will want it for himself) and only the money was missing (my mother told me to only have HALF of the money in my purse and the other half somewhere else…LOL…you should learn from me:D) but basically all my ID-s were in there, so it was a very big relief…I don’t want that happening to me again…
(sorry for the long comment:D)
January 14th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
too weird…last night i actually “felt” that something had happened to you. i think your story hits the perfect balance between lightheartedness and tragedy. i am truly amazed you were able to get your belt back at all. i wonder how that happened?
keep in touch bro.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:35 am
that ws great encident 4 u….i hope….but the main thing is that the poorty in vieatnam.and the curaptedt police officer…same as india.
lalit
January 15th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Well, well. I’m glad to see you survived the money belt snatching of ‘08 incident. But mostly I’m glad to hear that some MM somewhere was looking out for the other Mickey Mouses of the world and was able to force you to fill out some of their mousey paperwork.
Awesome.
It really is sweet of you, and touching, that you were able to fulfill 2 wishes in 24 hours for such warm and accomodating people. Now Ferenc, don’t go getting all soft on us just cause you’re in Vietnam. Where’s the tough internet selling, client despising man that I have come to know and love? Is he still in there? Or are you just ALL charity now?
January 16th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Ha! You’re trip to Vietnam is incredibly entertaining so far. Keep it up!
January 16th, 2008 at 5:00 am
Hi Ferenc,
Sorry to hear about that and it has been a shame as I’m also a Vietnamese.
I have seen our mutual friend has just left you a reply and convinced you keep it up.
You are still luckier than me coz I used to be snatched my handbag and the total value was about 650usd and I thought let bygones be bygones like I had done some charity but those robbers didn’t deserve to have instead of the poor.
You may have a 6th sense about the police in Vietnam (but I got a bad luck coz the police didn’t do a good job for me,
& I got nothing back). However, those policemen who have apprehended that lil girl and given you the credit card back. Just consider that’s a good diet by chance & you are still handsome looking, :-)!
The Vietnamese Lunar New Year is coming closer and this year is called the year of the mouse (Năm con Chuá»™t) & hope you will have a sense of “Chuá»™t sa chÄ©nh nếp/gạo” (a mouse falling into a jar of rice # “to land in a mint of money”/”to get a windfall”)!
Wishing you a brighter prosperous happy new year with a new exciting horizon here & there!
Take care, be safe & keep in touch!
Minh