In his siblings' memories, Hua Buu Ba, the eldest brother, was always very good in school. He was a kind, gentle son in their family, who loved his siblings dearly.

Ba was born into a family with many members, but his parents still sent him to school. He went to one school in the morning, and to another school in the afternoon.

Had he grown up in his family's care and love, his life might have been different, as his sister Ngoc Chac remarked.

However, an impulsive reaction led him to leave home, forever altering his path.

Now, at the age of 63 and having lost his right arm, Ba lives alone on a farm amid Ninh Thuan's sun and wind. He earns his living by tending chickens, sheep, and managing seven hectares of land for other people.

There is no electricity, rice, or fish sauce. He generates electricity from two solar panels, and he eats what is brought to him by other people. He receives VND1 million a month from a state allowance for the disabled. 

He has an adoptive family which treats him as a family member. Occasionally, he visits siblings living 5 kilometers away but refuses to stay with them in populated areas.

No family member knows why he left the family in his childhood. His sister, Ngoc Chac, guessed that her brother left home because their mother scolded him over missing money. He said that he was beaten by his mother, got cross with her, and left home.

However, he recounted the words by a fortune teller many years ago that if he left his home, he would lose an arm, and if he stayed at home, his mother would die before him. He heard the words from his grandmother who took care of him during his first seven years in his life. What happened was that he left home and lost his arm.

When he turned seven years old, his father brought him from Soc Trang back to Saigon (HCM City now) for schooling. He, together with his younger brother Hua Buu Dat, often went selling pinwheels. One day, Dat got lost. Two months later, Ba left home.

"The day Ba left, our mother was distraught, crying constantly and even threatening to commit suicide. But she decided to continue living because she has other children,” said Ngoc Chac, Ba’s sister.

Ba, after leaving, was adopted by a family with eight children. As his adoptive mother was poor, he willingly herded cattle for a living and helping parents feed their family members.

Later, he followed his uncle to go to the open sea for fishing, but suffered an accident, losing an arm. Since then, he has never spoken about his lost arm. He was only 15 years old at the time.

Despite hardship in his life, Ba still lived simply and kindly. He cherished the love from his adoptive parents and siblings, who are his second family.

His adoptive mother three times wanted to give him land, but he refused, saying that the land should be given to his siblings. She died in a sudden accident when Ba was in his thirties.

Ba concealed his grief, crying secretly, and later moved closer to her grave, continuing to live alone.

While gazing cattle, Ba met a woman selling rice. She wanted a child with him. They lived together on the rice field as a couple.

The two of them lived together for a year until she became pregnant and her family members found her and took her away. His wife and his daughter returned seven years later, but then left again.

“My daughter was born in the Year of the Rat, very lively,” he said.

The gods rewarded his kindness when he later was able to meet his biological siblings, thanks to a parks official. Nguyen Thanh Tam, an officer at Nui Chua National Park, who occasionally visited Ba, contacted the TV program ‘Nhu chua he co cuoc chia ly’ (As if We Never Parted) and asked for help. 

Ba met his siblings again during the TV show. It was a moving meeting.

Nguyen Thao