Two years ago, popular YouTuber Khoa Pug shocked fans when he announced he would undergo leg-lengthening surgery. At the time, he said he was tired of being 1.67 meters tall and wanted to experience life at 1.80 meters, so after careful thought, he decided to go through with the procedure. Now, Khoa Pug can walk normally with his legs that cost a whopping 5 billion VND in surgery, and many praise him for looking handsome and confident.
Because of this, many people think Khoa Pug is too careful with his investment and didn’t want to risk his legs by hiking on a recent trip. Specifically, he sparked debate online after hiring porters to carry him up a mountain. The hike was a steep 7km trail. After walking 1.5km, at a rest stop, the YouTuber paid 480 yuan (about 1.6 million VND) for the porter service, which is eight times the cost of a cable car ticket (200,000 VND).
In response to the criticism, Khoa Pug explained that hiring porters wasn’t about showing off or having too much money. It’s a service available at the mountain base, and by using it, he’s helping provide jobs for those workers.
“I thought young, strong guys would do the porter work, but it’s mostly older people competing for customers. A one-way cable car ticket costs just over 200,000 VND, but porter service is 1.6 million VND, so you get the idea. In the world’s second richest country, elderly people still work hard to earn a living, so if you have a job, you should appreciate it.
These guys provide a service, and I pay them fairly for their labor. If no one uses their service, they won’t have money to support their families,” Khoa Pug shared, a reason that many found reasonable.
This porter service is common on many mountains in China, similar to hired porters who carry gear. These workers are born and raised in the mountains, know the terrain well, and choose the mountains as their livelihood and support system. It’s just another way to make a living.
