Three years after rejoining their relatives in Vietnamese society, Quang Ngai’s “jungle men” have found a place for themselves in the local community.
In 2013, local hikers came across Ho Van Thanh and his son, Ho Van Lang, who were living in a tree house in the forest of Tay Tra District, reports Bao Giao Thong. Though the full details of the duo's move to the forest are unclear, the story goes that Thanh witnessed the death of his wife and two of his children, who were killed by a bomb during the American War. Fearing for his own life, Thanh then fled into the woods, taking his one-year-old son with him.
Years later, Thanh's other son, Ho Van Tri, managed to bring the pair out of the forest, where they still believed the war was ongoing. Thanh and Lang now live with relatives in a village of ethnic Cor people in Tra Phong Commune. Though it's been three years since their return to modern society, the pair still aren't completely used to living so far from nature. Thanh and Lang also don’t understand Vietnamese and barely understand the Cor language, forcing the pair to communicate with others mostly through body language.
According to Tri, Lang has been faster to adapt to life in the village but still often misses the forest. "He was used to [living] in the trees so everything here is new and strange to him," Tri told Bao Giao Thong. "Sometimes, he'll go to the forest from morning to sunset [whether] it's raining or not."
The 44-year-old man also felt like a burden to the family when he first arrived. Eventually, Lang decided to start a small garden in the forest growing rice, sweet potatoes and cassava. The harvests have gradually lifted his spirits and he is now happy to contribute to the family.
After years spent making a home in the forest, Lang has honed his survival skills. He is adept at navigating jungle routes as well as capturing freshwater eels and crustaceans from local streams.
Thanh, however, isn’t quite as active as his son due to old age and chronic illness. After leaving the woods, a trip to the hospital revealed that Thanh suffers from mental instability, cardiovascular issues and kidney failure. Thanh is also missing one eye, the result of an accident in the forest.
Despite his predicament, the old man still maintains a cordial demeanor. “He tends to sit in one place all day, but he follows our instructions really well, be it to take a bath or to have a meal," Ho Thi Nhung, Tri’s wife shared with Bao Giao Thong. "He’s so much more agreeable than what I expected when we first got him back home."
After he was rescued from the woods, local authorities included him in the list of senior citizens and have since supported the family with VND600,000 per month to care for Thanh.
[Photo via Zing]
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