John Huang, possibly the oldest living man in the Netherlands, celebrated his claimed 111th birthday in Hilversum on 1 February, according to Bol-An! and NOS Jeugdjournaal.
Huang claims to have been on 1 February 1914 in Southern Vietnam. He completed his education in South Vietnam where he grew up with his older siblings.
In 1931, the family left Vietnam and moved to the Netherlands, where they set up an antique shop a few years later. In 1940s, he married a Dutch woman, and the couple had several children together.
Huang initially worked as a factory worker before being deployed as a soldier on the Western Front during the Second World War. A few months after the war, he returned to Hilversum and worked as a professional businessman. Later on, he continued to operate the family antique shop after his parents died. He retired at the end of the 1970s.
On 3 May 2020, following the passing of 109-year-old Eelke Bakker, he became the oldest (known) living man in the Netherlands. His identity, however, was not publicly revealed until March 2024.
On 11 March 2024, following the passing of 111-year-old Marina van der Es-Siewers, he became the oldest (known) living person in the country.
However, his age has not been verified by the European Supercentenarian Organization (ESO) or LongeviQuest, meaning the title of the country’s oldest validated living man currently belongs to Jan van Ierland.
The featured image was sourced from Bol-An!
LongeviQuest extends warm congratulations to John Huang on his 111th birthday.