Lu Van Ha

Lu Van Ha (baptismal name Joseph), age 77, passed away peacefully at his home in Viet Nam on February 2, 2026 (December 15, 2025 Lunar calendar) after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Born on June 5, 1949, in Bac Giang Province in northern Viet Nam, Lu was the third eldest son in a family of six brothers and one sister. In 1954, his family fled to South Viet Nam following the division of the country. A gifted student, Lu earned scholarships to attend the prestigious Don Bosco Academy in Thu Duc, near present-day Saigon. He studied sociology at Van Hanh University for two years before being drafted into the South Viet Nam military, where he served as a lieutenant. Following the end of the Viet Nam War in 1975, Lu endured several communist re-education camps. In the years that followed, he and his wife established a small pharmacy in a suburb of Sai Gon. In 1991, Lu and his family resettled in the United States through a humanitarian program for political asylum. The family settled in York, Pennsylvania, where he learned a new language and supported his family through multiple skilled trades. Lu spent thirty-one years in the United States before returning to Viet Nam, where he spent his final years.

He could often be found tending his garden at sunrise or patiently repairing whatever was broken, believing there was little that couldn’t be fixed with time and care.

Lu is warmly remembered as a resilient and resourceful family man; an eloquent and engaging conversationalist; a curious, self-taught scholar with interests in Chinese literature, medicine, and acupuncture; a talented gardener and handyman; and a beloved husband, son, brother, father, and grandfather.

Lu is survived by his devoted wife, Lan Khong; their three daughters; four grandchildren; and his four siblings.

Funeral services were held on February 6, 2026, in his hometown of Bien Hoa, Viet Nam, where family and loved ones gathered to honor his life.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in Lu’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (www.alzfdn.org).