Born in the village of Fi Tong (Huồi tụ), Vietnam, near the city of Nong Het, Laos, Yang grew up without learning to read or write, although he likely observed various writing systems.
Yang was born in the village of Fi Tong (Huồi tụ) in Vietnam, near Nong Het in Laos. He did not learn to read or write during his childhood but may have observed different writing systems used by neighboring communities.