Before the now-famous father and son duo, who were found in the forest of Quang Ngai a few weeks ago, several other ethnic people from Quang Ngai Province have also been found living in the forest there.
That is the case with 72-year-old Dinh Van En in Ba Ta District. During the American War, En was forced to be a guard by the then government and after the revolution was transferred to a reform camp in Binh Dinh Province.
When another inmate tried to scare En with a story about him getting life-imprisonment, En escaped to his home in Quang Ngai Province's Son Ha District carrying 20 flint stones and a small pot. However, his wife had already married another man so En decided to live in Son Nham Forest nearby.
At first, he often stole food from the farms and slept in the caves; and, if it rained, he slept in the trees to avoid wild animals. After one year, he used up the flint stones and then had to steal the clothes of a scarecrow. The people living near Son Nham Forest started to spread rumours about a naked man in the forest who runs away if he hears any loud noises.
In 1998, when the rangers were chasing illegal loggers, they discovered the healthy 'forest man'. 20 years living in the forest had made En forget both the mainstream language and the language of the H're ethnic group.
Meanwhile, 53-year-old Dinh Ta Voi, in Ta Com Village, left the H're community for a whole different reason.
In 1999, his buffalo was caught in a trap set by a fellow villager. Among the ethnic groups, any mysterious deaths are thought to be caused by someone who is cursed with a 'poison spell' though no one has seen the poison. Rumours circulated that Voi's buffalo was killed by a 'poison spell' and that the owner of the trap would harm Voi. Voi quickly made a run for his life.
His sister brought him back home five months later but Voi ran away again after he met the trap's owner. Hundreds of villagers spent six months trying to find him, alas, to no avail, and so they assumed that the forest finally got him.
In 2008, Voi was discovered by a group of men in the forest and he tried to attack them with a machete. He refused to eat, forgot how to talk and tore off any clothes given him, so the local authorities transferred him to Quang Ngai General Hospital for treatment.
Dinh Ta Voi and wife
His family has done their best to help Voi re-integrate into society. "For four years, I and my children had to teach him to speak and how to do normal daily activities. He still visits the fields where he once lived though." Voi's wife said.
