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), a Vietnamese layman who has practiced the thirteen dhutaṅga (Buddhist austerities) for nearly a decade: one meal a day, robes sewn from discarded cloth, sleeping seated, walking barefoot on alms rounds. He walked the length of Vietnam four times, became an unprecedented social-media phenomenon in 2024, and in December 2024 began a walking pilgrimage toward the four holy Buddhist sites in India and Nepal.
Is he a monk?
He is not a monastic of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (the Sangha confirmed this on June 3, 2024) and does not claim the title. His consistent self-description: "a Vietnamese citizen learning to practice according to the Buddha's teachings." Independent lay practice is lawful in Vietnam and has deep precedent in Buddhist history. 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 accepts only food placed in his alms bowl, one meal per day, and has refused money consistently across a decade of verified footage. He has no bank account for support, no e-wallet, and has authorized no one to collect for him. His family likewise refuses donations. A criminal fraud case (~250 million VND) has already been prosecuted against a scammer using his name. Treat every appeal for funds in his name as fraud.
Does he have official social-media channels or spokespeople?
None. In a signed note (November 2024) he confirmed owning and operating no channel and asked the public not to film, photograph, or post images of him. Every channel claiming to be "official," "authorized," or run by "his family/disciples" is self-appointed at best and fraudulent at worst. 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 of mid-2026, verified multi-source reports place the group continuing its journey in South Asia. We do not publish real-time locations: they cannot be verified quickly, and publishing them draws crowds — the problem that ended his 2024 walk. Itineraries and arrival dates circulating online do not come from the group.
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 public revision histories. Non-watermarked media is available to press by agreement via the contact page. Commercial use and fundraising use are prohibited.
How does this site verify information?
Minimum two independent, checkable sources per article; a four-level verdict scale (FALSE / MISLEADING / UNVERIFIED / ACCURATE) with schema.org ClaimReview markup; a five-step editorial process with public corrections. Where facts are unavailable we say so explicitly rather than speculate. The site is non-commercial: no ads, no donations, finances disclosed.
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.