Vietnamese man lost at sea surprises family 2 months after funeral

Aug 11, 2006, 10:21 GMT

Hanoi - A Vietnamese fishermen believed lost at sea during a typhoon surprised and thrilled his family by walking back in their door more than two months after his funeral, the family said Friday.

One of the first things Nguyen Van Huong did when arrived at his home in central Quang Nam province was take down his photo from the ancestral altar, where Vietnamese pray to deceased family members.

'We were all so happy we couldn't say anything, just hugged and cried,' Huong's wife, Nguyen Thi Nuong, said Friday. 'His return is the luckiest thing in life.'

Huong, 34, survived 13 days on the open sea after his fishing boat sank in May in Typhoon Chanchu, in which more than 260 Vietnamese fishermen were lost at sea.

As his boat was sinking, Huong managed to lash himself to a half-full plastic water canister and jump overboard. The fresh water kept him alive, but he had no food or shelter.

He was near death, sun-blistered and unable to lift his arms when he was picked up by a long-range fishing boat, his wife said, speaking on a neighbour's telephone.

'He was aware of being picked up but did not know where he was,' Nuong said. The fisherman kept him alive with sugar water, but it was days before he could speak and the boat had no radio to contact his family, who in any case have no home telephone.

The fishermen and Huong apparently also did not contact Vietnamese authorities when they finally made port in Danang after two months at sea, the family said.

Instead, the fishermen simply bade Huong farewell and he, having no money, hitched a ride to the village of his nearest relative, his sister-in-law, Pham Thi Hue.

'Huong arrived at my home around 3 p.m. Saturday,' Hue said. 'His appearance surprised all of us because we all thought he was dead. That moment will be in our minds forever.'

Hue dispatched her daughter to go to Huong's wife's home and spread the news.

Home now for nearly a week, Huong is making plans for the future that do not include the sea.

'He said he will quit the fishing job,' Nuong said. 'He will find another job so he can be close to his family.'