When faith is connected, that spiritual strength spreads, creating a solid foundation for the great national unity bloc.
The power of the community call
In the midst of a thick night of steam, the sound of rain seems to be waiting all over the Northwest mountains and forests, a young Mong youth suddenly becomes a life buoy for the whole village. No alarm whistle, no loudspeaker, just a loud cry resounded in the middle of the mountain night: "Wake up, the flood water has come, who can't go can carry it!".
That urgent order saved nearly 90 lives in Hang Pu Xi village, Xa Dung commune, Dien Bien Dong district (old), Dien Bien province. The person who made the call to save lives was Mua A Thi, the 26-year-old village chief - a young man who just a few hours ago was still holding a blanket because of his insecurity.
On the night of July 31, 2025, the rain fell continuously for many hours. At around 1:00 a.m. on August 1, when the village was still sleeping, Mua A Thi suddenly heard strange noises from the mountain. It was no longer the normal sound of rain but the loud rocks and soil pouring down, a clear sign of landslides and flash floods.
Without hesitation, he rushed out of the house, ran through the slippery paths, knocked on every door to call the people up. He couldn't explain in time, just kept shouting: "Run! Danger!. The loud knocking of the door blends with the rain, becoming the only alarm signal at night.
Pu Xi Cave has 72 households, most of whom are Mong people living on the mountainside. Of which, 31 households are in the most vulnerable area. Unable to wait for the authorities to approach in time, Mua A Thi immediately became the commander on the spot. He and a group of young people divided into groups to approach each house, especially households with the elderly, children, and women. In less than 30 minutes, 90 people were evacuated to higher ground. And just like the feeling of A Thi season, just a few dozen minutes later, the black flood came down, sweeping away many houses at the foot of the village.
After the flood, although many houses were swept away and people lost their entire assets, the whole village called Mua A Thi a "hero". Not because he had extraordinary strength, but because at the moment of life and death, he acted like a person who stood on a thow, putting community life above his own life.
The story in Hang Pu Xi is not just a miraculous flood run at night. That is proof of one thing: When the community is connected, regardless of ethnicity or religion, that power can save dozens of people in just a moment.
When religion accompanies the front line in fighting the epidemic
Amid the COVID-19 epidemic, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha launched the movement "Wearing a brocade and wearing a white blouse", calling on donors and Buddhists to volunteer to take the lead. And from that call, hundreds of volunteer petitions are sent every day.
In particular, it is necessary to mention that the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee (VFF) of Ho Chi Minh City has repeatedly organized military departure ceremonies for monks and Buddhists with the same status and monks of Catholicism and Tinh Lanhism to register as volunteers to volunteer to join the front line to fight the epidemic. At the COVID-19 Intensive Care Hospital (214 people), the No. 10 Difficulty Hospital for admission and treatment of COVID-19 (45 people), the No. 12 (40 people) and the Gia Dinh People's Hospital... At that time, the whole country had thousands of monks, residents, and Buddhists participating in the front line of epidemic prevention.
Along with that, the mucical Houses also pay attention to and call on priests, monks and followers to promote the spirit of sharing and join hands to participate in charity activities in the work of preventing and fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. Hundreds of priests and monks have volunteered to go to field hospitals - where patients infected with COVID-19 are treated - to join hands with the health sector in the front line to fight the epidemic and care for patients.
Building a people's heart position from each ethnic group and religious people
Stories of flood running in the Northwest or religious volunteering during the pandemic all show a reality: National and religious solidarity is not only a slogan, but a real strength, proven by human life, by humanity spreading in the most difficult times.
At the First Congress of the Government Party Committee, term 2025-2030, Central Party Committee member, Minister of Ethnicity and Religious Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung emphasized that ethnic and religious work is "one of the core factors to ensure the longevity of the nation". Vietnam is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country, with more than 14% of the population being ethnic minorities and more than 27 million people having religion; therefore, the care and consolidation of the solidarity bloc has always been of great concern to the Party and the State.
The Minister said that the material and spiritual life of the people has changed dramatically thanks to hundreds of thousands of billions of VND invested in remote areas; thanks to unprecedented education and health policies; thanks to the restoration of places of worship and ensuring "good and beautiful" religious activities. But along with those achievements, he also warned that nation and religion are always the areas that hostile forces seek to take advantage of and distort, in order to divide the great national unity bloc. Hundreds of law violations related to toxic information have been cracked down in recent times.
From that reality, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung suggested that it is necessary to continue to ensure ethnic equality, solidarity, mutual assistance and development; promote the will to self-reliance and self-reliance of ethnic minorities; and at the same time fully respect the people's right to freedom of belief, religion and non-belief. He requested strict implementation of the policies and guidelines of the Party and State, especially Resolution 24 2003 and Conclusion 65 of 2019 of the Central Committee on ethnic work in the new situation.
Notably, the minister emphasized a fundamental task: "It is necessary to care for building the material life of the people, building a solid position of people's hearts right from each ethnic minority and religious person; promptly and effectively resolve problems arising in the field of ethnicity and religion right from the grassroots, not allowing complications to arise for a long time".
He also proposed building an inter-sectoral mechanism to protect the Party's ideological foundation in the field of ethnicity and religion; have appropriate treatment policies for village chief, religious dignitaries and prestigious people in the community; and strictly handle organizations and individuals who take advantage of ethnic and religious issues to fight against disruption. Strengthening international dialogue and cooperation is also considered an important solution to resolve false intervention arguments.
Protecting the Partys ideological foundation in the field of ethnicity and religion is the task of the entire political system... and will receive more full, practical and proactive attention in the coming time - Minister Dao Ngoc Dung affirmed.
