[Photos] The Family That Traded Hanoi for Red River Wilderness

Words by

September 3, 2016

Hidden behind dense bamboo thickets on a bend in the Red River is what some would call a peculiar family of three.

Nguyen Tuan Nghia, his wife Le Thi Mui and their seven-year-old daughter currently share a small shanty made of bamboo located 200 meters away from the nearest residential enclave, according to VietnamNet. The location officially falls under Ngoc Thuy Ward in Long Bien District of Hanoi, but it’s still a short trip away from the capital's center.

In an interview with Zing, Nguyen Van Duoc, the local official in charge of Ngoc Thuy Ward, shared that Nghia’s family used to live on Hang Giay in Hoan Kiem District. Both of Nghia's parents are teachers, while he performed very well in school. However, after a family tragedy, Nghia started to hate wearing clothes and developed an interest in Buddhism.

In 2006, he met Mui at a night exercise session in the neighborhood. One thing led to another, they started living together, and she eventually gave birth to their daughter, Hanh, in 2009. At the beginning of 2015, they left their family home in Ha Dong District to live a secluded life on the Red River.

Mui told Zing that she used to have mild mental health issues, but after she met Nghia, gave birth to Hanh and moved to the riverside cottage, her condition vastly improved. “People say that our life is miserable, but my home out here doesn’t lack anything,” she says. “We have ample food and clothing, and the environment is clean.”

Hanh doesn’t go to school and only knows how to write her name. Nghia reads to her every day and has taught her how to meditate, an activity Hanh now enjoys doing one hour every day. Both father and daughter love books and make a trek to the old bookstore in town every now and then.