Monk Thich Minh Tue during a walk in Gia Lai Province in November 2024.
Le Anh Tu, 43, a Buddhist monk who calls himself Thich Minh Tue, has attracted many followers while begging for alms throughout the country. However, after big crowds caused traffic congestion and public disorder, he decided to stop his walks and become a hermit.
Speaking to local media on November 18, Tu's brother, Le Anh Tuan, said his brother had written a letter and shared it on social websites to announce his decision.
"He will stop walking from November 18," Tuan said.
In the handwritten letter Thich Minh Tue signed on social media on November 17, the monk explained that large crowds around him during his morning walks begging for alms had caused serious traffic congestion and public disorder and interfered with his activities.
"I can only return to my morning walking and begging for alms when there are no gatherings and chaos that threaten public safety," he wrote. "I don't need bodyguards or people waving or greeting me. I only want to walk alone as it is better for my studies and practice of Buddha's teachings."
Three days earlier, the monk also wrote to local authorities asking for help to prevent people from posting images of him on social media without his consent.
After living as a hermit in Nha Trang City, Thich Minh Tue returned to his hometown in the Central Highlands Province of Gia Lai's Ia Grai District and has practised mendicancy for over two weeks.
However, his appearance attracted thousands of people, and serious congestion often occurred along the paths he walked. His brother, Le Anh Tuan, had to send a team of bodyguards to protect him.
Police in Gia Lai Province also warned about people using the image of Thich Minh Tue to distort the state's policies on religious issues. They have also advised people not to gather and follow the monk in big crowds, which causes public disorder and affects his life.
According to the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, Thich Minh Tue began practising Buddhism, walking barefoot, begging for alms once a day every morning, and travelling across Vietnam in 2017. He made three such trips between 2017 and 2023.
In early 2024, he made the fourth walk from the southern-central province of Khanh Hoa, heading towards northern mountainous provinces. However, on his journey back to the south in May, large crowds started following him after his story was posted and spread on social media.
The monk was open to sharing his beliefs when asked. His strict practice includes walking barefoot, feeding himself only with alms, seeking shelter in forests, bushes, or cemeteries, and refusing all material possessions. His commitment to observing these precepts has moved and inspired many people.
Thich Minh Tue has become a national phenomenon, with hundreds of internet users, profiles, and social pages on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok following and broadcasting his walks.
Long lines of people queued up to wait for him and follow him as he reached the central region, including the curious and people who wanted to pay their respects, along with hundreds of social media followers who have been live streaming his journey on their channels—resulting in public disorder and traffic disturbances.