The man who 'sleeps sitting up' has 14 children.

(Baonghean.vn) - Having two wives and 14 children is a "record" set by Mr. La Van Lieu in Co Phat village, Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district (Nghe An).Mr. Lieu is believed to be the man with the most children in the Dan Lai community.

At 58 years old, La Van Lieu still has the physique of a strong farmer.Despite his age and weathered appearance, his hair remains jet black. Mr. Lieu said that he has always preferred long hair since he was young. Long hair is also a way for many Dan Lai and Tay Poong men in Nghe An to express their masculinity.

A portrait of the man with the most children in the Dan Lai community.

Previously, the Dan Lai people resided in remote mountainous areas of Chau Khe, Mon Son, and Luc Da communes in Con Cuong district. However, this area was quite isolated from the outside world, and now these lands are all within the core zone of Pu Mat National Park. The Dan Lai are known for their custom of "sleeping sitting up," sleeping in trees to avoid wild animals. Child marriage and consanguineous marriage still exist in this community.

For over 10 years, under the Vietnamese government's policy of preserving the Dan Lai ethnic group, a portion of this community has been "relocated" to live alongside the Thai people in Tan Son and Cua Rao villages (Mon Son commune), and Thach Son village in Thach Ngan commune, Con Cuong district. Another portion has been residing for a considerable period in Chau Son village, Chau Khe commune.

In Mr. La Van Lieu's family, breakfast requires two trays of food to accommodate everyone.

“At 21 years old, in 1979, I married Ms. La Thi Huong, who was from the same village,” Mr. Lieu shared. Ms. Huong was only 17 at the time. They had 13 children together. According to Ms. Vi Thi Ky, Mr. Lieu's second wife, they met and were “destined to be together” in 1981 and have one son together. The woman, who is three years older than her husband, said she feels “happy” being Mr. Lieu's second wife, even though they don't have a marriage certificate.

According to long-time residents of Co Phat village who are close to Mr. Lieu's family, the two wives lived very harmoniously. They believed that it was thanks to some kind of "spell" or "magic" that the two wives were able to live together so peacefully. However, Mrs. Vi Thi Ky didn't believe this. "Heaven sent me down to be his second wife," Mrs. Ky asserted.

During his 35 years living with his two wives, Mr. Lieu arranged marriages for nine children. The youngest is currently six years old and in first grade. When asked about the total number of his children and grandchildren, the polygamous man, perhaps the only one in the Dan Lai community, said he couldn't remember.

In their small house, Mr. Lieu and his two wives, along with their children, lived very harmoniously and happily.

A rice field belonging to Mr. Lieu's family in Co Phat village.

Despite having many children, Mr. Lieu and his two wives seem to have a rather optimistic life. The man, who makes a living by gathering wild plants and practicing traditional medicine, and is currently building the largest wooden house in Co Phat village, says that raising a large family is no easy feat. That's also why it took him more than 35 years of marriage to finally build his own wooden house.

Mr. La Van Linh, Secretary of the Party Branch of Co Phat village, shared: Because the Dan Lai people have lived in the deep forest for a long time, they have not had full access to population policies and family planning measures, so most of them have many children.

Bun My