Vietnamese Man Separated From Wife By Covid-19, Attempted 2,016km Journey
They say love knows no bounds, and lovers and families separated by Covid-19 had a real chance to prove it over the last 2 years.
While most of these cases usually resort to online meetings and waving to their familes from afar, 1 man decided that no barrier’s too great to see his love.
He decided to undertake a perilous sea journey from Thailand to India in a flimsy inflatable dinghy.
Apparently, the risk was worth it in order to see his beloved wife again.
Boat spotted by fisherman
The touching yet amusing story was told by the Royal Thai Navy in a Facebook post on Wednesday (23 Mar).
Apparently, a man in an inflatable boat was spotted in the ocean by a worker on a fishing vessel at about 11.50am that morning.
He’d made it quite far too – his location was about 14km west of the Similan Islands, and more than 80km from the coast of Thailand’s Phang Nga Province – that’s where Phuket is.
He didn’t bring much
What’s more, the man didn’t bring much to tide him over on the trip.
Besides the small dinghy, which was just 2.5m long, he also had a container of drinking water and a suitcase.
There were also about 10 packets of dry food and instant noodles, the Navy said.
Man is 37-year-old Vietnamese
The Navy was informed, and the national guard and marine park rangers were dispatched.
When they arrived at about 12.45pm, they found the fishing crew trying to tie the dinghy to their boat.
Though he couldn’t speak English, they found out via an interpreter that the man was a 37-year-old Vietnamese named Ho Hoang Hung.
2 years ago, he’d married a woman from Mumbai, India but had to be separated due to Covid-19 restrictions.
He couldn’t secure visa to India
According to the Navy, Mr Ho arrived in Bangkok on 2 Mar, flying in from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
He tried to fly to India from Bangkok to see his wife, but couldn’t secure a visa.
Thus, he decided to take a bus to Phuket instead.
He bought a dinghy and on 5 Mar, embarked on a brave but foolhardy journey to India – a distance of some 2,016km.
Remarkably, he’d been floating in the sea for a total of 18 days before he was found.
Thai Navy touched by his gesture
Even the Thai Navy seemed moved by Mr Ho’s story.
They thanked the fishermen for alerting them so they could help the man, describing him as a “man with a big heart… ready to risk his life (to) cross the vast and dangerous Indian Ocean… to meet the face of his beloved wife”.
Full of admiration, the Navy proceeded to title their story,
No matter how big the ocean is, I can’t block this man’s true love.
Officials have brought Mr Ho to Similan Islands National Park, and will coordinate with the relevant agencies on how to help him further.
We’ve come across many romantic tales and grand gestures, but Mr Ho’s surely trumps them all with his story of star-crossed love across the seas.
However, brave as he was, he’s fortunate that he was spotted – he would’ve almost certainly faced watery death.
We wish him well, and really hope he can get to India very soon for a much-deserved reunion with his lady love.
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Featured image adapted from Royal Thai Navy on Facebook.
