Tiếng ViệtMy story begins with a train ride from Madrid to Zaragoza last summer. Since my hotel was very close to the station, I arrived quite early. However, the train was delayed without clear information on the duration of the delay. The reason was a severe storm in Zaragoza the previous day, causing all trains to arrive late. The scheduled departure was at 9:30 AM, but the train didn’t leave until 10:00 AM. Upon arrival, my friend came to pick me up. The first thing he said was that he would claim compensation from the train company on my behalf.
I was quite surprised that compensation was an option for a delayed train, especially considering the delay was due to weather—an unavoidable circumstance.
My friend asked, “So, what happens in Vietnam if a train is delayed?” I replied, “You just have to accept it. People always have to prepare better plans. Even if a flight is delayed by two or three hours, customers have to bear it because airlines don’t offer compensation.”
True to my friend’s word, a few days later, the train company refunded 50% of the ticket price because my delay was only 30 minutes. Had it been over an hour, they would have refunded 100%.
This experience explains why another Spanish friend of mine always has a folder labeled “claims” on his desktop. He demands compensation for mistakes made by service providers and for achievements that he believes deserve recognition. For instance, when he excelled in an additional training program, scoring a perfect 10/10, he would claim a scholarship if one wasn’t automatically awarded, depending on the difficulty of the course. On occasions when he felt the school overlooked this, he would email to request the scholarship, and eventually, they granted it. Another time, he received a lower-than-expected score on an English exam, so he wrote to the professor to request a re-evaluation, which resulted in an improved grade.
Initially, I found such behavior rather bothersome and time-consuming. However, those who dare to speak up, sometimes seen as troublesome or selfish, are often the ones driving progress. They compel service providers, regardless of who they are, to continuously improve their quality. These small, persistent voices, when united, form a powerful force that propels society toward development and refinement.
