Father and son missing for 40 years after Vietnam war found in forest

[webfact]

Father And Son Missing For 40 Years After Vietnam War Found In Forest


AN 82-year-old man and his 41-year-old son have been found living in a forest in central Vietnam after they went missing during the country's war with the US.

VIETNAM – August 10, 2013; The older man could communicate a little in the Cor ethnic minority language, but his son only knew a few words, an official at Tay Tra commune in Quang Ngai province said.

Ho Van Thanh was last seen running into the woods with his then-infant son Ho Van Lang after a bomb exploded in his home, killing his wife and two other children in 1973, newspaper Dan Tri reported.

They were discovered when two people from a nearby village ventured 40 kilometres into the forest looking for firewood and spotted the two men’s tree house. The villagers reported the find to local authorities who recovered the pair on Wednesday.

The two men survived by cultivating forest vegetables and hunting animals. They had no contact with the outside world, the report said.

Photographs showed the younger man with dishevelled hair wearing a loin cloth made from tree bark.

Thanh, who was fighting for North Vietnam when the bomb exploded, left behind another son, Ho Van Tri.

“My father is very weak and the doctors are taking care of him, but my brother’s health is fine even though he looks very thin,” said Tri, who was six months old when his father fled into the jungle.

Thanh is being treated at a medical centre while his son is being looked after by his nephew, Ho Ven Bien. [read more...]

Full story: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2013/08/10/father-and-son-missing-for-40-years-after-vietnam-war-found-in-forest/

-- Pattaya Daily News 2013-08-10

[Siriam]

Sad story, although take them away from the forest is not the answer.

[webfact]

Vietnam war pair in village after four decades in forest

HANOI, August 10, 2013 (AFP) - Vietnamese authorities are trying to reintegrate a father and son to their home village after they allegedly fled war four decades ago to live deep in the forest, an official said Saturday.

Ho Van Thanh, 82, and his son, Ho Van Lang, 42, emerged bedraggled from the remote mountainous region on Wednesday in an emaciated condition, wearing loincloths made from tree bark.

The former communist soldier Thanh ran away with his then two-year-old son Lang in 1972 from a communist village in central Quang Ngai province.

He was grief-stricken following the death of his mother and two of his other children in an American bombing, local official Hoang Anh Ngoc told AFP.

"The son is afraid of the crowds. He will not talk to strangers... but he talks inside their family," Ngoc said, adding authorities will spend about $2,300 to build the men a house near their relatives.

While the older man is frail and under medical supervision, Ngoc said officials still have to "keep our eyes" on Lang to prevent him escaping back to the forest where the pair lived in a hut five metres off the forest floor, reportedly surviving on foraged fruits and corn they cultivated.

Television footage showed authorities apparently taking the pair against their will from their forest hut several hours' walk from their home village, with the frail old man carried in a hammock by local people while the son was pictured with restraints around his hands.

The pair were "were dressed only in loincloths made of tree bark", Tuoi Tre newspaper said Friday, adding they were found with several handmade tools including axes made from war-era shells.

The pair can speak little of their ethnic Kor language.

The men were first brought back home by a younger son in 2004, Dan Tri online newspaper reported Friday quoting local authorities, but they could not adapt to living in the village and returned to their forest home.

The pair "preferred their independent life to that of the traditional Vietnamese family", the report said.

The younger son visited them once every year, providing some necessities.

But they were recently spotted by local residents and reported to the authorities who drew them from the forest on Wednesday.

After being captured Lang reportedly "chewed betel nut and smoked continuously, glancing at everybody around him with a dull look", according to the Tuoi Tre report.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-08-10

[ETatBKK]

very sad story, an effect of war even after 40 years. modern men think bring them to real world, but what for ? leave them back to the jungle where they belong in the last 40 years, perhaps just keep the line of family communication, that's it.

[LeeThayer]

40 km into the jungle to look for firewood? What am I missing here?

[bangkokheat]

if this happened in thailand all the thai super heroes would have their picture taken with their prize

[marell]

This photo is confusing. Can someone please point at the two men in question?

[spud67]

From the story linked above, “We know he wants to escape my house to go back to the forest so we have to keep an eye on him now.”

Now that's flawed logic if ever I read it.

[onflipflops]

40 km into the jungle to look for firewood? What am I missing here?

The jungles these days are not what they used to be. I remember the old days when we just walked 50 meters away from our camping area and gathered enough wood to built a proper fire. Good old times.

Well maybe the jungles in Vietnam are like the 'jungles' around Chiang Mai where thos touristic 'jungle' trekkings take place. Where you're walking most of the time in rice fields... if that's proper jungle it's indeed hard to collect firewood.

Or maybe they went out 40kms for firewood, because by the time they would return with the wood would be dry and perfect for building a fire... Smart guys.

But we certainly don't call the poachers, because they are the heroes of today. Don't want to change the purpose of the article, but it does show the poor state in the Vietnamese forests. If a poacher needs to go as deep as 40kms into the jungle to find anything edible/ worth selling to the greedy Chinese, it's a truly sad situation. I believe last year the last rhino was found killed in Vietnam.

Though, this article also gives hope. If 2 people can go missing for such a long time, there is apparently still a lot of unexplored forest left.

After living for such a long time in the jungle, I don't know if I would be happy to go back to 'civilisation'.

BUt in the end it's an amazing story!

[Tazwa]

"The men were first brought back home by a younger son in 2004, Dan Tri online newspaper reported Friday quoting local authorities, but they could not adapt to living in the village and returned to their forest home."

So this story is 9 years late then. Who knows how long the younger son had been visiting the two men before he brought them back? Perhaps their whereabouts was known for many years before 2004.

The 40km trek for firewood sounds a bit dubious to me.

[BeforeTigers]

I don't understand. Is it a crime to camp 40km inside an uninhabited forest or something?
Clearly the father is a little batshit and dragged his son into this weirdo antisocial lifestyle and not the dude is maladjusted for the real world. Nothing in the story to explain the obviously glaring question; why were they taken from the forest- again?

[winstonc]

"The men were first brought back home by a younger son in 2004, Dan Tri online newspaper reported Friday quoting local authorities, but they could not adapt to living in the village and returned to their forest home."

So this story is 9 years late then. Who knows how long the younger son had been visiting the two men before he brought them back? Perhaps their whereabouts was known for many years before 2004.

The 40km trek for firewood sounds a bit dubious to me.

perhaps it was there only way to get media attention for them,thus helping the old fella,...maybe....i feel a hollywood film in the offing.mmmm maybe not hollywood,....

[andrewrooney]

This photo is confusing. Can someone please point at the two men in question?

If you click on the article there's more pictures.

The man with the purple shirt is the son. Apparently they took his loincloth and stuck those clothes on him?

The man being carried in the hammock is the father.

[MyFriend You]

very sad story, an effect of war even after 40 years. modern men think bring them to real world, but what for ? leave them back to the jungle where they belong in the last 40 years, perhaps just keep the line of family communication, that's it.

I live part time in Vietnam, also a two tour veteran 69 & 71-72 - The Cor are animists anyway, of course they don't trust anyone not Cor.,,,,,,,,,,,they are the Montagnards of the Eastern seaboard. Take them out of the forest and they are spooked beyond comprehension. Too many inconsistancies here - for one thing - a Cor would never be allowed in the NVA - VC maybe, but they wouldn't trust the VC either - Okay, since this area is not far from Duc Pho or the Mi Lai's (of LT Calley's) fame Maybe Maybe he fought with the VC ........so whats the News??? Japanese were found in the Phillipines 40 years after the war ended................next thing they will report American POW's have been found alive in Poon Tang Vietnam working on American Army Trucks with chain's on their legs.........or someone has proof that "America never landed on the moon"

Nothing to see here folks go back to our

[wade72]

very sad story, an effect of war even after 40 years. modern men think bring them to real world, but what for ? leave them back to the jungle where they belong in the last 40 years, perhaps just keep the line of family communication, that's it.

I live part time in Vietnam, also a two tour veteran 69 & 71-72 - The Cor are animists anyway, of course they don't trust anyone not Cor.,,,,,,,,,,,they are the Montagnards of the Eastern seaboard. Take them out of the forest and they are spooked beyond comprehension. Too many inconsistancies here - for one thing - a Cor would never be allowed in the NVA - VC maybe, but they wouldn't trust the VC either - Okay, since this area is not far from Duc Pho or the Mi Lai's (of LT Calley's) fame Maybe Maybe he fought with the VC ........so whats the News??? Japanese were found in the Phillipines 40 years after the war ended................next thing they will report American POW's have been found alive in Poon Tang Vietnam working on American Army Trucks with chain's on their legs.........or someone has proof that "America never landed on the moon"

Nothing to see here folks go back to our

Sorry your an idiot, whats the story? the guy lived in the bush for 40 years..... good story, visited sure, it's a small world, but still lived in the bush for 40 years. As for your "extensive" experience, don't care, guy lived in the bush for 40 years is the story.

[HerbalEd]

very sad story, an effect of war even after 40 years. modern men think bring them to real world, but what for ? leave them back to the jungle where they belong in the last 40 years, perhaps just keep the line of family communication, that's it.

I live part time in Vietnam, also a two tour veteran 69 & 71-72 - The Cor are animists anyway, of course they don't trust anyone not Cor.,,,,,,,,,,,they are the Montagnards of the Eastern seaboard. Take them out of the forest and they are spooked beyond comprehension. Too many inconsistancies here - for one thing - a Cor would never be allowed in the NVA - VC maybe, but they wouldn't trust the VC either - Okay, since this area is not far from Duc Pho or the Mi Lai's (of LT Calley's) fame Maybe Maybe he fought with the VC ........so whats the News??? Japanese were found in the Phillipines 40 years after the war ended................next thing they will report American POW's have been found alive in Poon Tang Vietnam working on American Army Trucks with chain's on their legs.........or someone has proof that "America never landed on the moon"

Nothing to see here folks go back to our

Speak for yourself, pal. I find the story very interesting.

[HerbalEd]

I see no reason why these two men should be forced to leave their home and way of life. Leave them alone.

[mayday49]

"The men were first brought back home by a younger son in 2004, Dan Tri online newspaper reported Friday quoting local authorities, but they could not adapt to living in the village and returned to their forest home."

So this story is 9 years late then. Who knows how long the younger son had been visiting the two men before he brought them back? Perhaps their whereabouts was known for many years before 2004.

The 40km trek for firewood sounds a bit dubious to me.

perhaps it was there only way to get media attention for them,thus helping the old fella,...maybe....i feel a hollywood film in the offing.mmmm maybe not hollywood,....

[mayday49]

perhaps the "sad" part is that most whites need to see how post apocalyptic indigenous people are driven to stay alive and how others would rather see this story make "the rounds" to BBC , MSNBC , CNN and Today news cast programs ...

[market trader]

"The men were first brought back home by a younger son in 2004, Dan Tri online newspaper reported Friday quoting local authorities, but they could not adapt to living in the village and returned to their forest home."

So this story is 9 years late then. Who knows how long the younger son had been visiting the two men before he brought them back? Perhaps their whereabouts was known for many years before 2004.

The 40km trek for firewood sounds a bit dubious to me.

perhaps it was there only way to get media attention for them,thus helping the old fella,...maybe....i feel a hollywood film in the offing.mmmm maybe not hollywood,....

How about Bollywood then. They could incorporate a lot of jungle dancing into it.

[dighambara]

This photo is confusing. Can someone please point at the two men in question?

So you didn't notice the hammock or the bound hands & dishevled hair..??

[gaucho]

very sad story, an effect of war even after 40 years. modern men think bring them to real world, but what for ? leave them back to the jungle where they belong in the last 40 years, perhaps just keep the line of family communication, that's it.

I live part time in Vietnam, also a two tour veteran 69 & 71-72 - The Cor are animists anyway, of course they don't trust anyone not Cor.,,,,,,,,,,,they are the Montagnards of the Eastern seaboard. Take them out of the forest and they are spooked beyond comprehension. Too many inconsistancies here - for one thing - a Cor would never be allowed in the NVA - VC maybe, but they wouldn't trust the VC either - Okay, since this area is not far from Duc Pho or the Mi Lai's (of LT Calley's) fame Maybe Maybe he fought with the VC ........so whats the News??? Japanese were found in the Phillipines 40 years after the war ended................next thing they will report American POW's have been found alive in Poon Tang Vietnam working on American Army Trucks with chain's on their legs.........or someone has proof that "America never landed on the moon"

Nothing to see here folks go back to our

a strange story ....liked your reference to the philippines ...remember that story ...a good soldier ...also in papua new guinea there were still lots of japs hiding ....mate caught one in headlights in 1962 ...the locals referred to him as a devil ....he used to steal food but main diet was jungle rat .....had gone completely nuts .....

[Maggusoil]

Awesome. Amazing. Imagine some white tourists in this situation. Well, Bear Grills maybe.

What a feat.

Fantastic and their disdain for what they were rescued INTO. There hangs a tale and a great movie.

Just think. How?

[buck99]

I can't get that "loin cloth made of tree bark" out of my head.