92-year-old "birdman" lives in tree-house in southern Vietnam

Duong Van Duong, a 92-year- old man in Vietnam's southern An Giang province, spends most of his time on a bamboo house some 30 feet above the ground in his backyard, local online newspaper Thanh Nien (Young People) News reported Tuesday.

Many local people know Duong and they call him "birdman" who loves breathing fresh air and listening to birds. "He only climbs down for meals, and then he will climb up again," said Tran Thi Be Bay, his daughter in law.

Bay said a few decades ago, Duong started planting four trees to make the four pillars for his future house. He started the construction in 2007, trimming bamboos and tying them together in the next seven years to create the impressive structure.

Despite his age, Duong is still moving up and down quickly. Sometimes he has to slow down to avoid bee hives along the bamboos.

Bay said Duong used to spend the night up there too, but his children have persuaded him to climb down before dark. Bay said her father in law is still going down the river to catch fish and he has rarely had to visit a doctor ever. Endi