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Tran Huu Hoa was frightened, desperate and about to commit suicide after being diagnosed with leprosy in 1958, fearing he would never work or be married at a time when lepers were completely out of Vietnamese society.
He could not imagine that he would find a new life at the Leprosy Hospice where he had lived for 61 years, an isolated complex in Thai Binh Province, in the north of the country, where he met his wife, worked as a union leader and welcomed needy children.
"There were about 2,000 people here, mostly young people. It was fun because we created a teenage union, "said the 80-year-old, sitting on his bed with his 54-year-old wife Teo.
At present, the hospital has only 190 patients, all cured but living with a disability caused by leprosy.
Many walk with prosthetic legs. Others, like Hoa, have lost fingers. Some are so disabled that they spend the day in bed, covered with thick blankets to protect themselves from the cold.
Founded in 1900, Van Mon is the oldest hospital for leprosy in northern Vietnam.
At its peak, it treated 4,000 patients a year – a number that has declined since the number of leprosy cases declined throughout Vietnam, thanks to improved health care, hygiene and increased awareness of the disease.
World Leprosy Day is January 27th.
According to data from the World Health Organization, 248 people were treated for leprosy in 2017 in Vietnam, a decrease of more than half from the previous decade.
But as the numbers have decreased, Van Mon residents have also declined.
The meandering days are punctuated with a morning and midday meal. Some people spend their time worshiping at the chapel or pagoda on site, while most watch TV or listen to the radio during the day when they are not sleeping.
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"I do not have anyone to count on, I'm so lonely, so I'm just following God. When I die, I will also follow God, "said Pham Van Bac, 83, in the center since 1960.
Her daughter does not come anymore and her grandchildren only come once a year. He does not have much to expect, he says.
But many, like Bac, have chosen to stay, fearing to become a burden to their family or to lose the care and small stipend provided to the government-run hospital. Some, like Hoa, found companions in the center.
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"It's a source of encouragement and motivation and they can have a better and happier life," said Nguyen Thi Thai, deputy director of the hospital where both her parents were treated for leprosy.
And even though the stigma against people with leprosy has largely faded out of the walls of the hospice, many prefer to stay at Van Mon.
Hoa said: "This is my second home, I will live here until my death."
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