Thich Minh Tue, a Buddhist devotee whose real name is Le Anh Tu, has announced that he would suspend alms-receiving activities as many people have surrounded his spiritual practice venue, disrupting security and social order in the area.

On Monday, a handwritten letter by Tu, a resident of Ia Grai District, Gia Lai Province, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region, was published on his older brother's company website.

He wrote that he would resume alms-receiving activities only when conditions are appropriate and traffic and social safety are ensured.

Tu reminded followers that having people follow him to protect him or stand along the road to welcome him by shouting goes against the dharma.

Due to these disturbances, he will suspend his alms-receiving journey. He will consider reinstating the practice when people stop gathering or causing a disturbance.

According to Tu, such gatherings cause chaos and disrupt social order, affecting his spiritual practice.

Gatherings must be in line with regulations and appropriate to actual conditions and contexts, Tu noted, calling for others’ support.

A representative of the authorities in Ia To Commune, Ia Grai District told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that they had yet to receive Tu’s letter. 

On November 14, Tu authorized his older brother Le Anh Tuan and Tuan’s company to help him with administrative procedures to ensure his citizen rights so that he could spend time on his spiritual practice.

T., a childhood friend of Tu, said throngs of people flocked to the area wishing to meet Tu. Every morning, thousands of people come and their cars form long lines there.

On Sunday, T. saw large crowds along the roads. When Tu appeared, many people wanted to touch him and screamed. As a result, Tu immediately returned to his hut.

In early June, Tu, who has become well known for his barefoot journeys from the south to the north of Vietnam, voluntarily ceased his pilgrimage and alms-receiving activities.

He had undertaken three of these journeys without any incident between 2017 and 2023.

This year, however, on his fourth barefoot journey from Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam to northern provinces, he found it challenging to continue once large crowds began to follow him.

Among these followers, a man named Luong Thanh Son from Ho Chi Minh City passed away from heatstroke, multi-organ failure, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Two women also collapsed from exhaustion.

In response, local authorities met with Tu, affirming their support for religious freedom and his practice while addressing the impact of his growing following.

Tu later returned to his hometown in Ia Grai District, Gia Lai Province. However, many people have come wishing to meet him.

He has recently requested that the public stop filming, photographing, and sharing his image on social media.

He has asked that authorities take action against those who publish his information online without his consent; and shared concerns about large gatherings causing traffic disruptions which affect his spiritual practice.

Tu clarified that he is a normal citizen learning and practicing Buddha’s teachings, reiterating that he is not a Buddhist monk or a revered figure.

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