Ascetic Practitioner
Who Is Thích Minh Tuệ?
The practitioner Minh Tuệ – who renounced everything to walk the path the Buddha taught
Thầy Minh Tuệ – An Ascetic Practitioner Following the Buddha's Path
Thích Minh Tuệ, known to followers as Thầy Minh Tuệ (“Thầy” is a Vietnamese respectful form of address, meaning “teacher”), was born Lê Anh Tú in 1981 in Hà Tĩnh and worked as a land surveyor. From 2018 he practiced the 13 dhutanga practices and walked on alms rounds across Vietnam, accepting no money and keeping no possessions.
From December 2024 he made an international pilgrimage, to India and then Nepal. His milestones are summarised just below; a more detailed biography – family, daily life and how he is addressed – follows after that.
Life Journey
From land surveyor to an ascetic practitioner revered by millions
Born in Hà Tĩnh
Born Lê Anh Tú, he grew up in an ordinary family and worked as a land surveyor.
A Turning Point
A profound event transformed his perception, leading him to study the Dhamma and resolve to take up the religious path.
Beginning of Practice
He ordained at Chơn Như Monastery in Tây Ninh. After a short time there, finding it did not suit him, he returned to practice at home in a small hermitage.
–2023
Walking Silently Across Vietnam
He walked the length of Vietnam several times on alms pilgrimage – no money, no shelter, only receiving food. In 2021 he vowed to sleep only in a sitting position, never lying down.
4th Journey – National Phenomenon
Tens of thousands lined the roads to witness his walk. His story spread internationally, inspiring millions.
2024
2024
Pilgrimage Paused in Vietnam
While walking toward Huế, the enormous crowds following him became a traffic safety hazard. He paused his domestic pilgrimage.
Leaving Vietnam – International Pilgrimage Begins
Crossing the Bờ Y border checkpoint, he officially left Vietnam for Laos, beginning his pilgrimage toward the sacred lands of the Buddha.
2024
2025
Departing Thailand by Vehicle
His visa in Thailand expired. He was compelled by law to leave by vehicle – he emphasized this was not an abandonment of his walking practice.
Journey Through Southeast Asia
He traveled through Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia before returning to Singapore en route to Sri Lanka. Due to visa and legal constraints, various modes of transport were used.
2025
Arriving in India – The Buddha's Land
Flying from Sri Lanka to India, he began pilgrimage at the sacred Buddhist sites where the Buddha was born and attained enlightenment.
Practicing in Nepal
Arriving in Nepal in September 2025, he was granted a one-year visa by the Nepalese government to continue his practice.
Background and early career
Thầy Minh Tuệ was born Lê Anh Tú on 19 May 1981 in Kỳ Văn commune, Kỳ Anh district, Hà Tĩnh. He is the second of five children. In 1994 the family moved to Gia Lai.
After finishing school he did about three years of military service, then studied at the Central Highlands Forestry Intermediate School. After graduating he worked as a land surveyor for a private company, mostly in Đắk Lắk province. During this time he read books on Buddhism, kept a vegetarian diet and practiced at home.
Dharma name and the dhutanga practices
When he ordained in 2015, he received the Dharma name Thích Minh Tuệ.
From 2018 he practiced the 13 dhutanga practices of Theravada Buddhism and began walking on alms rounds across the country. The dhutanga (Pali: dhutaṅga) are voluntary ascetic practices intended to train the mind in letting go of material desire; the Theravada tradition lists 13.
Many people ask whether the dhutanga amount to extreme self-mortification, and which path he follows – the dhutanga or Tổng Trì (dharani); both questions are answered in the Q&A section of this site.
How he lives while walking
According to what was recorded while he walked, he ate only one vegetarian meal in the early morning, received as alms; from noon onward he accepted no food or drink. He bathed in rivers and streams, or asked permission to wash at petrol stations along the way. His robes were pieces of cloth picked up in cemeteries or along the road and stitched together. From 2021 he vowed not to lie down, sleeping only in a sitting position – the practice of sleeping seated. He accepts no money, uses no phone and keeps no possessions.
Walks across Vietnam
From 2018 to 2023 he walked from south to north and back three times. These journeys were quiet and little noticed. In the early period he sometimes had to take a coach; from 2020 onward he walked the whole way, using a ferry only to cross rivers. He covered almost all of Vietnam, apart from a few southern provinces that are not on the main route.
In 2024 came his fourth walk, setting out from Khánh Hòa up to Cao Bằng – Hà Giang and then back again. The return leg drew the attention of large numbers of people, with hundreds at times walking along with him.
Pausing the walk in 2024
In early June 2024, as he passed through Thừa Thiên – Huế, he and the mendicants with him stopped walking. In interviews afterwards he said the reason was road safety and avoiding large gatherings that disturbed public order; he also expressed his intention to continue receiving alms in line with the Buddha's teaching, and his wish to make a pilgrimage to India to pay respects at the four holy sites of Buddhism.
International pilgrimage from December 2024
On 12 December 2024, he and five other mendicants left Vietnam through the Bờ Y border gate on the Vietnam–Laos border to begin a pilgrimage toward India. The group walked through southern Laos and entered Thailand on 31 December 2024.
Because the length of stay allowed in each country is limited, the group often had to travel by bus or plane: from Thailand to Malaysia, then Indonesia and Singapore, and from Singapore by air to Sri Lanka on 10 April 2025. On 25 April 2025 the group flew from Sri Lanka to New Delhi (India) and from there went to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment. The next stage – Nepal – is the last milestone in the Life Journey section above.
Monk, mendicant or practitioner?
Many people call him “thầy” (teacher) out of respect, and that is the usual form of address on this site. However, according to his replies to the press, he has never claimed to be a monk and feels he does not deserve that title; when speaking he also refers to himself not as “I” or “thầy” but as “con” (literally “child”, a humble form of self-reference).
The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha holds that he is not a Buddhist monk because he does not practice at any establishment belonging to the Sangha. Vietnamese Wikipedia describes him as a mendicant (khất sĩ) practicing the dhutanga of Theravada Buddhism.
About this website
thayminhtue.com was set up by admirers of Thầy Minh Tuệ to share information about his journey and Dhamma lessons. It is not a channel created by him. The information on this site is compiled from his whole journey as seen in videos, and cross-checked against the Thích Minh Tuệ article on Vietnamese Wikipedia and press sources.
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