In the first days of the new year, the color of peace and prosperity has appeared in many villages in the highlands and border areas of Ha Giang. Just a few months ago, people here were still reserved and closed off, but now they are bustling with laughter.
The hesitation stems from strange beliefs that some villagers in some villages such as Sang Lung, Tat Nga, Lung Phin in Yen Minh and Meo Vac districts (Ha Giang) believe in, causing them to distance themselves from traditional values and live separately from the community.
These religious organizations mainly propagate vague doctrines, encourage ignoring scientific healing methods, and believe only in worship rituals.
Just a year ago, Mr. Giang Chu Ly in Lung Ho commune (Yen Minh) also believed in and followed the heretical religion of San Su Khe To.
Mr. Ly said that the villagers believed that if they worshiped, their illnesses would disappear, and that God was the only supreme being. But then they witnessed their relatives falling ill many times, and even if they worshiped until they were exhausted, they still could not be cured.
"That's when I realized the truth, sick people need medicine and doctors. We can't just sit and pray and make offerings and get well," said Mr. Ly.
Realizing his mistake, Mr. Ly took the initiative to persuade the villagers to abandon the evil religion and return to traditional customs. With his perseverance, he convinced the village chief Sang Lung Giang Chung Toa, then the other households.
Up to now, all 28 households in Sang Lung village have abandoned heresy, set up ancestral altars and returned to their long-standing religious lifestyle, contributing to preserving and maintaining national culture and maintaining security and order in the border area.
Not only in Yen Minh district, in many other localities such as Meo Vac and Dong Van districts, there were also many Mong and Dao households who believed in the evil religion of San Su Khe To, complicating the security and order situation.
In Tat Nga commune (Meo Vac), the local government has persistently campaigned and propagated. Every week, they go to each household at least 3 times, work and live with the people, and then explain so that people understand and abandon false beliefs.
The journey to mobilize is not easy, especially in remote areas with difficult terrain. Most of the households following the cult are Mong people, living scattered on high mountain slopes, having little communication with the outside world, and not even being able to speak the common language.
Mr. Vu Dinh Quyen - Secretary of the Party Committee of Tat Nga commune shared that the journey to mobilize people was not easy. Most households live scattered on high mountain ranges, in remote and difficult terrain, they have little communication with the outside world, and cannot even speak the common language.
"After persistent efforts to explain, people have gradually realized that only labor, production and economic development can help them have a prosperous life, not vague and baseless beliefs. Up to now, the whole commune has 37 households with 156 people who have abandoned the evil religion," local leaders informed.
Up to now, the whole Ha Giang province has successfully mobilized 748 households with nearly 5,000 people to abandon evil religions and return to traditional religious activities.
The evil religions that had crept into people's lives were gradually eliminated, restoring the inherent peace to the border region.
