Ascetic Practitioner
Venerable Minh Tuệ – who renounced everything to walk the path the Buddha taught
Venerable Minh Tuệ, born Lê Anh Tú in 1981 in Hà Tĩnh province, worked as a land surveyor before his spiritual transformation. Following a profound personal event in 2006, he began studying the Dhamma and committed to the monastic path.
In 2015, he ordained at Chơn Như Monastery in Tây Ninh. After some time, feeling he had not yet fully let go, he returned to practice at home.
From 2018, he began his walking alms pilgrimage, practicing the disciplines the Buddha taught.
After years of walking across Vietnam, in December 2024 he began an international pilgrimage through Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. In April 2025 he arrived in India, and in September 2025 reached Nepal — where he currently practices under a one-year visa granted by the Nepalese government.
From land surveyor to an ascetic practitioner revered by millions
Born Lê Anh Tú, he grew up in an ordinary family and worked as a land surveyor.
A profound event transformed his perception, leading him to study the Dhamma and commit to the monastic path.
He ordained at Chơn Như Monastery in Tây Ninh. After some time, feeling he had not yet let go fully, he returned to practice at home in a small hermitage.
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.
Tens of thousands lined the roads to witness his walk. His story spread internationally, inspiring millions.
While walking toward Huế, the enormous crowds following him became a traffic safety hazard. He paused his domestic pilgrimage.
Crossing the Bờ Y border checkpoint, he officially left Vietnam for Laos, beginning his pilgrimage toward the sacred lands of the Buddha.
On his 55th day in Thailand, his visa expired. He was compelled by law to leave by vehicle – he emphasized this was not an abandonment of his walking practice.
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.
Flying from Sri Lanka to India, he began pilgrimage at the sacred Buddhist sites where the Buddha was born and attained enlightenment.
Arriving in Nepal in September 2025, he was granted a one-year visa by the Nepalese government – he currently continues his practice there.