Hung was raised by his grandparents in a small village in Thailand. For many years, they lived in poor circumstances in rural community in the northern mountains. His grandfather did not want him to go to school. Instead, his grandfather taught him carpentry, the family business, so he could help earn money for the family. From a young age, Hung made a living with his hands. Nevertheless, somewhere and somehow, Hung taught himself to read from comic books and old Buddhist prayer books. He then began to look for something to read outside his home, and that is when he found the most wonderful thing: a library.