Two Americans win hearts in Vietnam after helping Da Nang battle floods

A video posted on Monday showing two foreign men in work gloves shoveling sand and carrying bags to reinforce the embankment went viral on Vietnamese social media.

It drew more than four million views and thousands of comments within just a day.

Sasha Khazatsky (L) and Maxwell Nusbaum (R) help reinforce the An Luong embankment in Duy Nghia Commune, Da Nang City, on the morning of Nov. 3, 2025. Photo courtesy of the duo

Nusbaum, 27, and Khazatsky, 26, from New York City are co-founders of a robotics company and often travel to different parts of the world to learn about local cultures.

Last year they spent three months in the snowy forests of Canada before moving to the Middle East for six months.

They arrived in Vietnam in August to travel, research its market and recruit staff.

They reached Hoi An during a major flood that submerged parts of the ancient town. The waters rose above a meter in places along the Hoai River, and people were forced to move their belongings to higher floors at home.

The water left behind thick mud as it receded slowly in the week following their arrival and halted most business activity.

Nusbaum said it was the first time he had to wade through floodwaters to return home.

He said locals brought food to his house despite the inundation and shared stories about past floods, evacuations, boat trips through rising water, and power outages.

"I could feel a strong sense of solidarity among Vietnamese people. It felt wonderful to be part of that."

The duo also helped locals clean up after seeing how the flood affected their lives.

On Monday morning they rushed out to aid in reinforcing the local embankment after hearing hotel staff talk about the approaching Typhoon Kalmaegi and the rising water level in the Thu Bon River.

At the embankment, people transported sandbags on motorbikes and three-wheelers to store on trucks that were lined up on the riverbank. Nusbaum and Khazatsky helped fill bags with sand and load them onto the trucks.

Under a light rain, soldiers, seniors and children moved the bags from the truck and stacked them in flooded areas to block rising water.

 

 

Two Americans win hearts in Vietnam after helping Da Nang battle floods

Chuyến du lịch Việt Nam 'nhớ đời' của hai chàng trai New York

Some of the seniors took breaks to go and fetch food and water for those helping with the flood prevention efforts.

Nusbaum said: "What surprised us most was everyone’s optimism. Children sang and played even during the flooding. People brought us food and shared stories of how they dealt with floods in the past. Hoi An just felt like home."

The pair said lending a hand was the obvious thing to do when they heard that the An Luong embankment was on the verge of breaking.

Khazatsky said: "Many homes and properties could have been lost if the embankment was not reinforced. We were happy to contribute even a small part."

They said the experience changed their view of Vietnam.

Nusbaum said: "Of all the places we’ve visited, we have never been treated as warmly and welcomingly as in Hoi An. Vietnam makes us feel at home."

The duo plan to stay in Vietnam for at least one or two years to expand their company’s operations after the experience.