By Tim Binnall
A Vietnamese man was rescued while stranded at sea during a daring and ill-advised attempt to row from Thailand to India in the hopes of reuniting with his wife after being apart for the last two years. The very strange misadventure reportedly came to light last week when the Royal Thai Navy were made aware of an individual seen in a small boat approximately 80 miles from shore. Upon intercepting the wayward sailor (seen in the video below), authorities were amazed to discover that the man, named Ho Huang Hung, emanated from Vietnam and that he was on a Herculean quest fueled by the power of love.
He explained that his wife worked in the Indian city of Mumbai and, due to travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic, it has been two years since the couple have seen each other. No longer able to live without his soulmate, Hung set about trying to reunite with her by flying from Bangkok from Ho Chi Minh City with plans on then journeying to India from there. However, upon discovering that he did not have the necessary paperwork to enter the country where his wife is currently located, the lovesick man took matters into his own hands. Traveling to the Thai island of Phuket, Hung purchased a small inflatable boat with the intention of paddling from Thailand to India.
Alas, it would appear that he did not put all that much thought into his plan as Hung set off for India with only a handful of instant noodle packets, a small amount of water, and no navigation system to guide him. Intending to travel a staggering 1,200 miles across the Bay of Bengal, he wound up stranded at sea for an astounding 18 days before being rescued by the Thai Royal Navy. Detailing his amazing story online, they marveled that "no matter how big the ocean is, it cannot get in the way of this man's true love." While Hung remains in Thailand while authorities determine how best to proceed, there is hope that the headlines generated by his romantic mission will convince officials in India to allow him into the country for that long-awaited reunion with his wife.