A Vietnamese man for 41 years was fleeing from the war in the jungle
44-year-old Ho Van Lang and his 85-year-old father Ho Van Thanh spent 41 years in the jungles of Vietnam, fleeing the war. Ho Van Thanh once had an ordinary life and a happy family — just during the Vietnam War. In one day, he lost everything — bombs that fell on his village and exploded killed his wife and two sons. The man was so scared and deafened by grief that he grabbed his two-year-old son and ran into the jungle.
Father and son survived in the jungle for decades, completely breaking with civilization. They ate fruits and cassava, and grew corn. Clothes were made from tree bark, and they lived in a forest hut raised 5 meters above the ground. In 2013, hunters stumbled upon the Tarzans. They notified the local authorities, and they came for the father and son. Ho Van Thanh was already aged and ill, so they were taken away and settled in a nearby village, where they started a new life, trying to adapt after the forest.
Recently, Ho Van Lang, together with photographer Alvaro Cerezo, made an emotional journey to the place that was his home for 40 years.
(6 photos in total)
The photographer wrote in a blog post: "I knew that Ho Van Lang always rejoiced at the mere thought of returning to the place where he had spent his whole life. So I offered to go there with him and an interpreter."
"The next morning, Lang didn't hesitate for a second, and we set off. After a day of wandering through the jungle, we finally arrived at the old hut. Lang looked at the dwelling in silence for an hour."
Lang eats a rat that was part of the diet of a father and son who lived in the jungle.
For the past three years, Lang has been wearing modern clothes, but on the day of the trip he took them off and put on more familiar ones for himself.
Photographer Alvaro told: "I spent five unforgettable days side by side with this wonderful man, gradually gaining his trust. Pretty quickly I realized that he is like a child, loves to laugh and play."
In the photo: the first meeting with civilization in 41 years.
Keywords: Survival | Vietnam | Jungle | Father | Rescue | Son | Tarzan | Civilization