Thich Minh Tue and his simple lifestyle gained myriad online admirers but authorities detained him.

Who is Thich Minh Tue and why does he matter?

Le Anh Tu, better known as Thich Minh Tue, is a 43-year-old Vietnamese man who became an internet hit last month when several influencers began documenting his barefoot pilgrimage across Vietnam on TikTok and other social media platforms. He amassed legions of supporters who were drawn to his simple lifestyle and humble attitude.

Tue sports a shaved head, patched robe and a rice cooker as an alms bowl – but isn’t officially a monk because he’s not recognized by the state-sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, or community. In fact, he doesn’t claim to be a monk – only a man trying to live out Buddha’s teachings.

But the attention he was getting appeared to worry the authorities, and on June 2, law enforcement officials raided his camp in the middle of the night, detaining him and several of his followers, prompting an international call for his release.

After disappearing from public view for several days, police published a video of him on June 10 receiving a new national ID card and saying he had stopped his pilgrimage due to safety concerns caused by the crowds that followed him. The video allayed concerns after an interview with him days earlier on a state-run news program had raised suspicions about his well-being, and that he was speaking under duress.

#ThichMinhTue #VietnameseMonk #TikTok