In the first dream, on the night of October 21, 2013, his father appeared and called out: “Út! I have died and have been reborn as a pig in the outer hamlet. On the front of my snout, there are two lines running downward… they are my mustache. On my hind leg, there is a black spot. When you come to the pen, I will jump up to greet you.”
Today, we will explore a true story about the law of cause and effect – a father who was reborn as a pig-person and called out to his daughter-in-law to take him home. The story began with a series of prophetic dreams experienced by Mr. Võ Thành Đẫm (also known as Út) and his wife, Mrs. Dương Thị Chơn, in An Giang Province, Âu Lạc (also known as Vietnam).
Almost ten years ago, that person – who is now believed to be the pig – used to drink heavily and eventually passed away. Later, he was said to have been reincarnated in Vĩnh Chánh Commune, Long An Province, as a pig. Because the father appeared in dreams to his son, but the son didn’t believe it. Then he appeared in dreams to the daughter-in-law instead. Two or three nights in a row.
Mr. Đẫm recounted that on that night, he dreamed that his late father came to him. His father, Võ Văn Minh, had passed away at the age of 78 due to a stroke. In the first dream, on the night of October 21, 2013, his father appeared and called out: “Út! I have died and have been reborn as a pig in the outer hamlet. On the front of my snout, there are two lines running downward… they are my mustache. On my hind leg, there is a black spot. When you come to the pen, I will jump up to greet you.” Six days later, Mr. Đẫm had the exact same dream again. He did not think much of it at the time, as he was preoccupied with earning a living through daily labour. Twenty days after the second dream, his father appeared to him once more and said: “I have come to you twice – why haven’t you come to look for me? I am so sad. I stopped eating, and they pinned me down… and injected me.”
Mr. Đẫm recalled, “Then, on the night of November 22, he appeared in my wife’s dream as well. He told her, ‘Wife of Út, please come and find me. I am suffering so much. I am waiting and longing for you.’
After hearing that, my wife urged me to go and look for the pig.” On the morning Mr. Đẫm’s wife went to a hamlet where many families raised pig-people. As she inquired about a place matching the description in the dream, a local resident directed her to the pigsty of Ms. Lê Mỹ Hạnh. After explaining the story to the homeowner, she immediately went out to the pen and was astonished to see, among the herd, a pig-person that looked exactly as her father-in-law had described in the dream.
“My wife told them everything and asked to buy that pig. They agreed to sell it for 2.5 million đồng ($96 USD). The pig weighed about 30 kilograms. He was a pot-bellied type, with yellow hair and many black spots. What was truly strange was that when he saw my wife, he immediately showed excitement – he jumped up, lifting his two front legs. His ears twitched repeatedly. And when we placed him on the motorbike to take him home, he sat quietly and calmly, just like a person riding,” Mr. Đẫm said.
Now, let us hear from cô Ba Sữa, a local witness to these events, and listen to her account of what she saw and heard.
We were told by local residents that you were among those who witnessed the unusual events surrounding the pig raised nearby. Is that right?
Yes, it happened not far from here. The fourth daughter-in-law in that family said she dreamed of her father-in-law. In the dream, he told her, “I have been reborn as a pig nearby. You should gather money and redeem me.”
That day, I went over to visit my niece. I heard her saying, “Why is this pig so strange? He doesn’t seem to sleep at all. Whenever he’s awake, he keeps jumping around. This pig is different from all the others.”
I said, “Hearing you say that reminds me – That’s right, Mrs. Chơn inside there once told me that her father-in-law had been reborn as a pig.”
Then the young woman said, “Well, if it truly is her father-in-law, then let her redeem him and take him home.”
After bringing the pig-person home, Mr. Đẫm and his wife gradually began to notice many unusual and remarkable traits in his behavior.
When we brought him back there, the sidewalk still had water. He was dirty. He ran around, splashed and thrashed about for a while, then jumped into the house. He didn’t go anywhere after that — just stayed inside the house like normal.
Did he eat pig feed?
No, he didn’t eat feed. He ate rice and snacks. He only ate porridge.
Mr. Đẫm shared why he chose to become vegetarian and the message he wanted to send to viewers.
If you keep killing living beings, once you take a life, you can never bring it back. So I decided to return to the path the Buddha taught – it feels like the safer path to follow.
We should just go back to the spiritual path and do charity work to help people. But really, when you think about it you’re not just helping others – you’re helping yourself too.
In Buddhism, there is a saying: if you want to know your past life, look at what you experience in this life; if you want to know your next life, look at what you do right now. It’s a reminder that every action carries consequences. The Buddha taught that beings are connected across many lifetimes, changing roles as family members and loved ones, and through craving and harm, they bind themselves more tightly to the cycle of birth and death. But rebirth is not meant to be endless – the ultimate goal in Buddhism is liberation, to break free from suffering and reach Nirvana. Stories like the man believed to be reborn as a pig-individual remind people of karma and the cycle of rebirth – how lives can change form, but suffering continues when harm continues. May this story remind us to be kinder and to choose compassion – so that whatever paths lie ahead, they may be lighter and more peaceful.
