A man in Ung Hoa District, Hanoi recently returned home after 28 years living with an ethnic group in Cambodia, while his family believed he had died in the war.
Returning “martyr” Le Xuan Hao
The veteran, Le Xuan Hao, returned to his home in Tram Long Commune two years ago.
He joined the army in March 1983, when he was at the peak of his youth at 21 years old. Now he returned looking haggard in appearance with dozens of injuries to his body, along with signs of post traumatic stress disorder.
Currently he lives in a makeshift house in his hometown.
After he joined the army in 1983, he was assigned to fight in the Cambodian battle. He and six other Vietnamese comrades were attacked and bombed during a firefight in 1984. Luckily he was saved by an ethnic Cambodian family.
Due to his serious injuries and the language barrier, Hao could not find his unit or a way to return home. He was compelled to live there as a drifter.
At first, Hao, struggled to survive and was hunted by Pol Pot's forces. He was forced to take refuge in the forests and caves of the country, living off the land.
“I was saved and protected by Cambodian people and lived with a Cambodian ethnic minority family on an isolated mountain in the deep forest. We had no electricity or safe water for years,” Hao said.
Le Xuan Vui, Hao’s younger brother, said, “My brother looked terrible when he got back. He was ill and had white hair and torn clothes.”
As Hao was believed to have died many years ago, and his return shocked relatives, who rushed out to touch him and check if it really was him.
Living in isolated conditions for years, Hao now finds it difficult to get used to his new life. He is still embarrassed when when he is given meat at meals and tries to avoid noises from the television or using modern bathrooms.
“During the first days of my brother’s return, he often woke up at night screaming as if he were still in battle,” Vui said.
He returned home along with his a daughter, whom he had with a Cambodian woman who was deceased.
Now they make their living by trading poultry feathers, earning a maximum of VND100,000 (USD4.73) a day.
“What I would really like is to be able to have medical treatment to deal with my headaches and leg pains," the veteran added.