English edition
Press FAQ
For journalists, researchers, and the international community. Human-written; no machine translation.
Who is Minh Tue?
Le Anh Tu (b. 1981, Ha Tinh province), a Vietnamese layman who lives on one meal a day from alms and walks barefoot. According to Vietnam's Government Committee for Religious Affairs, he walked the length of Vietnam three times between 2017 and 2023; his fourth walk, in 2024, became a social-media phenomenon. In December 2024 he set out on a pilgrimage toward the Buddhist holy sites in India and Nepal.
Is he a monk?
No. In an official letter dated May 16, 2024 (No. 151/HĐTS-VP1), the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha stated that he is not a Buddhist monastic, and he does not claim the title: he has told Vietnamese media that he is not a monk or a teacher, only a citizen learning to practise the Buddha's teachings (BBC Vietnamese, May 24, 2024). Independent lay practice is lawful in Vietnam. We call him "practitioner" (hành giả) or simply Mr. Minh Tue.
Does he accept donations?
No — this is the single most important fact for the public. He has told Vietnamese media that he accepts no money in any form, only food placed in his bowl in the morning (VietNamNet, May 17, 2024). We have found no account, e-wallet or collector announced by him or the group. In 2024 police in Gia Lai province prosecuted a scammer who used his name to take 244.9 million VND from one victim. Treat every appeal for funds in his name as fraud.
Does he have official social-media channels or spokespeople?
We know of none. A handwritten letter dated November 8, 2024, signed "Minh Tuệ" and released by his family, asked people not to gather, not to film or photograph him and post it online, and asked the authorities to act against those who post about him without permission; some observers questioned its authenticity. The letter does not mention media channels. Treat any channel claiming to be "official" or run by "his family/disciples" as unverified. This website is also NOT his channel — we are an independent, non-commercial documentation project and do not speak for him.
Where is he now?
As last verified on October 13, 2026: According to community trackers as of October 13, 2026, the group is still staying in the Lumbini area; September 25, 2026 marked one year in Nepal, noted by the Nepali outlet The Nepal Weekly. The headcount is 37 (daily tracker, October 1) or 46 practitioners including 7 women who do not live in the men's area (community statistics, September 28), depending on how they are counted. On September 27-28 rising water flooded most of the main living area; in early October community sources record police visiting the site. Earlier: Bodh Gaya from late April 2025, Lumbini from September 26, 2025, with trips to New Delhi (February 2026) and Kathmandu (June 2026). No next leg has been announced. The group reached India on April 25, 2025, venerated Bodh Gaya and stayed about five months, then reached Lumbini on September 26, 2025. We do not publish real-time locations: they cannot be verified quickly, and publishing them draws crowds — the problem that ended his 2024 walk.
What is dhutaṅga ("hạnh đầu đà")?
Thirteen optional austerities recorded in the Pāli canon and systematized in the Visuddhimagga — simplifying food, clothing, and shelter to support meditation. It is voluntary asceticism within the Buddhist Middle Way, distinct from the self-mortification the Buddha rejected, and it is not a standard for judging other Buddhists. Our doctrine section (Vietnamese) covers all thirteen practices with canonical references.
May we quote or republish this site's material?
Yes, for journalism, research, and education: credit "thichminhtue.vn" with a link to the original page, and do not distort context. Articles carry permanent URLs, and corrections are noted on the article itself. Commercial use and fundraising use are prohibited.
How does this site verify information?
Our standard is at least two checkable sources per article, shown with links; dates, figures and quotes are checked against the original text. Fact-checks use a four-level verdict scale (FALSE / MISLEADING / UNVERIFIED / ACCURATE) with schema.org ClaimReview markup. Corrections are noted on each article, and seriously flawed articles are withdrawn with a stated reason. Where facts are unavailable we say so explicitly rather than speculate. The site is non-commercial: no ads, no donations. It has not yet published details of its operator or its finances.
How can we reach the editorial board?
Via the contact form (/gioi-thieu/lien-he/) — English inquiries welcome. Note: we cannot forward letters, gifts, or money to Mr. Minh Tue, and we cannot arrange meetings or interviews with him; requests of that kind will not receive a reply.