Vietnam Tarzan Returns To Jungle After 7 Yrs In Village

A man dubbed the ‘Vietnamese Tarzan’ after being brought up in the jungle has decided to return to the wilderness after seven years living in a village.

Ho Van Lang, 51, left his home in the jungle seven years ago when his father, who brought him there as a two-year-old, fell ill.

Lang lives in the jungle close to the rice fields of Tra Nga Village in the district of Tra Bong located in the eastern Vietnamese province of Quang Ngai.

The ‘Vietnamese Tarzan’ likes to visit ‘civilisation’ to occasionally work in the paddy fields and sell the mice and birds he catches and the corn and bananas he grows in the forest.

According to reports, he is considered very sociable with the villagers despite being raised in the jungle by his father since he was an infant.

Credit: Newsflash
The Vietnam Tarzan, Ho Van Lang

Lang’s father Ho Van Thanh was a soldier fighting the American army during the Vietnam War.

After the war ended, Thanh suffered with mental illness problems and was violent towards his wife, according to local media.

One day after he reportedly nearly beat his wife to death, Thanh grabbed his two-year-old son and headed into the jungle.

No one knows why he never took his other son Ho Van Tri.

The pair initially lived near the edge of the forest but moved further into it as the land was cleared for farming.

When Lang’s brother Tri was 12 years old, his uncle took him into the jungle to find his father and brother.

According to reports, the dad was unable to recognise his son, but Tri continued to visit their tree house at least twice a year, taking rice, salt, oil and other essentials with him.

Credit: Newsflash
The Vietnam Tarzan, Ho Van Lang

In 2013, Thanh’s health began to deteriorate and Tri and his uncle brought the pair back to the village with the help of the local authorities.

Villagers did their best to accommodate the father and son, but they both missed their old life in the wilderness.

However, Lang spent a lot of time chatting with villagers and improving his grasp of the Cor language while his father’s health steadily worsened.

He also tried drinking beer with his brother, but Tri advised him to stop when he appeared to develop an allergic reaction to it.

Thanh died in 2017 and Lang began to feel the sounds of the jungle calling him more and more.

He started spending more time in the paddy fields, a few miles from his home.

Lang said: “Life in the village is really fun, I can listen to Cor and Kinh languages and there are vehicles everywhere… but the field is far away and walking home makes me very tired.

Credit: Newsflash
The Vietnam Tarzan, Ho Van Lang

According to reports, Lang has moved back into the jungle and only spends one or two nights in the village every month to sell the mice and birds he catches and the corn and bananas he grows.

When he returns to the forest, Tri’s family gives him rice and spices.

The brothers still meet up frequently and Lang’s hut is not very far from the village.


To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Lee BullenSub-EditorJoseph Golder,  Agency: Newsflash

The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.

GET THE NEW STORIE ON TIME!!!!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Signup to our Newsletter