40 years ago, during the Vietnam War, Ho Van Thanh was seen running into the woods with his then-infant son Ho Van Lang. They hadn’t been seen since, until a few days ago when two villagers accidentally stumbled upon their bamboo hut deep in the forests of Vietnam’s Quang Ngai province.
No one imagined Ho Van Tranh could have survived for 40 years, after he disappeared into the jungle in 1973. A bomb exploded in his home during the war with the United States, killing his wife and two other children, and eye-witnesses reported seeing him grab his two-year-old son Ho Van Lang and running into the forest. But just a few days ago, the impossible happened.
Two villagers from the Tay Tra district who had ventured 40 kilometers into the lush jungle looking for firewood noticed a strange bird-nest-like hut built in a small clearing, near a stream. Curious about its origin they decided to investigate and found two men living inside. The weak 82-year-old man could communicate in the in the Cor ethnic minority language, but his 41-year-old son, who was wearing a loin cloth made from tree bark, only spoke a few words.
The villagers alerted the authorities who later confirmed the two mysterious jungle dwellers were indeed Ho Van Tranh and Ho Van Lang.
Hey, they seem to be doing all right. Nothing much to worry about except finding something to eat and avoiding getting eaten by something else. Certainly no obesity problem. They've survived for 40 years in the jungle. It's going to be quite a shock to their systems to re-enter the quote unquote civilized world. I've got news for them. It's a jungle out here, too!
Maybe it's just my weird mind but I can see planeloads of Western youth heading for Vietnam looking for a 'better life in the real jungle', can't you? And really...who's to say they're wrong? Don't step on that python, Monty!
See ya, eh!
Bob
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