8 Aug 2013

Father and son brought back from jungle after fleeing Vietnam War bombs

Authorities in the central province of Quang Ngai Wednesday rescued a father and son who have been living up a tree house in the jungle for more than 40 years.It took many hours and around 40 kilometers through the jungle for the officials to reach the men’s place, which had been found by some of their family members.

The father, Ho Van Thanh, 82, was too weak to walk and some men had to carry him out of the jungle on a hammock. First investigations found Thanh had fled into the jungle bringing his son Ho Van Lang, then around one year old, during a panicking night in 1971 in the Vietnam War, when his house was bombed, killing his wife and two older sons.

Ho Van Tanth

They lived in a house that looks like a bird nest, built from sticks on a big tree around six meters from the ground, and near a stream. They used dry bark to make pants, though officials found Thanh has carefully kept a little red coat of his son and his soldier’s trousers at a corner of the house.

The two also made their own tools like knives, axes and arrows for hunting. Daily foods include cassava, corn, and wild leaves. They have a field of nearly one hectare (2.47 acre) that also plants sugarcanes. Both have forgotten the mainstream Kinh language.

Thanh Nien DailyPictures here