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Man Who Lived In Jungle For 40 Years Dies Aged 52

Man Who Lived In Jungle For 40 Years Dies Aged 52

Ho Van Lang died on 6 September from liver cancer, and some believe that his reintegration into society played a role

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A man who lived away from civilisation in the jungle of Vietnam for 40 years has died from liver cancer at the age of 52.

Ho Van Lang was taken into then jungle by his father Ho Van Thanh when several members of his family were killed by a bomb during the Vietnam War.

The pair stayed together in the wilderness for more than four decades - 41 years, to be precise - before re-emerging and coming back into society in 2013.

However, some believe that the reintegration eight years ago did more harm than good, and suggest that Lang's deteriorating health could - in part - have been down to sometimes drinking alcohol and eating processed foods.

His friend, Alvaro Cerezo said that the 'modern' lifestyle may have contributed to his death at such a young age.

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Cerezo said: "I'm so sad to see him go, but for me his passing is also a liberation because I know he was suffering in the last months.

"He was a beautiful human being, to forget him will be impossible, I will miss him every day.

"But I didn't like seeing him living in civilisation. I was always concerned that he and his body wouldn't be able to handle such a drastic change.

"He had spent all his life living in the jungle and then came to live in the 'civilised world' where he started eating processed foods and sometimes even drinking alcohol."

Thanh, who was a soldier, took his son into the jungle when Lang was just two years old.

There, they lived in what is now called Tra Bong District until they were eventually discovered by locals searching for firewood.

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When Thanh's health started to deteriorate, they had to return to society to seek medical care.

In the jungle, they wore clothes made from tree bark, lived in a hut five metres up a tree, and subsisted on fruit that they found, as well as corn that they grew.

Lang reportedly had no idea women existed, and Cerezo told news.com.au back in 2016 that although Lang was now able to distinguish between men and women, 'he still doesn't know the essential difference between them'.

On 6 September, eight years after leaving his jungle home, Lang died after months spent battling liver cancer.

In a statement, the Secretary of the Party's Committee of Tra Bong District Dang, Minh Thao, said: "In early 2021, Mr. Lang suffered from severe pain in the abdomen.

"His relatives took him to a hospital in Quang Ngai city for examination, and he was diagnosed with liver cancer.

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"When the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, he had to self-treat at home. The disease progressed so badly that he did not survive."

Despite his relatively short life, and his years of isolation, Lang's story managed to reach all corners of the world, and will be remembered fondly.

Featured Image Credit: Docastaway

Topics: Interesting, Asia, Weird