"The higher powers" can cure illnesses without examination.

(Baonghean)From an ordinary person, Mr. Le Dinh Dieu in Quynh Tam commune (Quynh Luu district) suddenly became a "superior," curing all kinds of illnesses without examination. This has been going on for decades; the commune authorities are aware of it, but this "superior" continues to "practice his religion" with impunity, causing disorder in the area...

Posing as patients, we went to Quynh Tam (Quynh Luu) to ask for the house of Mr. Le Dinh Dieu, also known as Mr. "Dieu Tuyet". Just about 3km from the turnoff from National Highway 48, everyone knew Mr. Dieu's house, and we easily found it. Mrs. Luu, Mr. Dieu's wife, over 60 years old, opened the gate. She cheerfully said, "He's out on business today and won't be back until late evening, but since you're here, please come in, come to Linh Son Temple first."

The Linh Son Temple, established by Mr. and Mrs. Dieu, is a shrine built next to their small house – Mr. Dieu's living quarters – and beside it is a dark, damp room for storing medicine. To "facilitate" the disciples' worship, the "higher powers" even built a corrugated iron roof over the Linh Son Temple area to protect it from rain and sun. Inviting us to sit on a mat spread out in front of the shrine, Mrs. Luu began her story, which was more of an advertisement for her husband: "He used to be in the army. He cures all diseases. He knows the illness when he's on the altar, because the higher powers whisper in his ear… the secretary has to quickly write down the list of medicines; if he can't write them down quickly, he has to record it on the phone. He can cure diseases that God has ordained, but only if you have faith. He can even detect the seeds of cancer six months in advance. He can cure cancer, but only if there's no surgery. If surgery is performed, he still gives medicine to ease the suffering, so that future generations won't get cancer again…"

To verify Mrs. Luu's claim, after making an excuse to leave and promising to return the next day, we went to Hamlet 11, Dien Truong Commune (Dien Chau District) to inquire about Mr. Trung, whom Mrs. Luu said had stage 3 liver cancer but was supposedly cured by "higher powers." However, the locals all replied that there was no Mr. Trung in the area who had been cured of cancer. Mr. Chu Tu Lieu, from Hamlet 11, Dien Truong Commune (Dien Chau District), even said: "There's no Mr. Trung in Hamlet 11 who has cancer; only I and Mr. Huong's wife have had cancer for a long time." And Mr. Lieu asserted: "How can you cure cancer with those worthless leaves?"

"Master" Điều is performing a ritual to prepare herbal medicine for a patient.

Although we knew it was a scam, to witness Mr. Điều's medical examination process firsthand, as agreed, we returned to Quỳnh Tam the next day and met him. During our conversation, Mr. Điều boasted: "I have cured 10 people of cancer." However, the addresses of the patients he claimed to have cured were all vague, such as Mr. Vượng in Diễn Châu, Mr. Châu in Vinh…

Posing as patients seeking medicine, we observed that Mr. Điều's treatment methods lacked any scientific basis. While Mr. Điều lit three incense sticks in three incense bowls, the patient knelt on a mat spread out in front of the altar and simply read out their name and address to the secretary (named Hương). Then, Mr. Điều sat down beside Ms. Hương, his eyes fixed on the incense smoke, and proceeded to read out the names of the "divine" herbs for Ms. Hương to record before going to the storeroom to prepare the medicine for the patient. Almost all prescriptions included ingredients such as chrysanthemum, corn silk, betel leaves, centella asiatica, Piper betel leaves, mugwort, *Gynostemma pentaphyllum*, and tangerine peel… The only difference was that some prescriptions lacked certain ingredients, while others lacked others.

In this way, the "higher power" treats 50-70 people a day. Therefore, Mr. Điều's assistants number up to 7 people to take prescriptions, prepare medicine, etc., to keep up. One dose of medicine costs 140,000 VND, consisting of two types: one for decoction and one already processed into an extract. According to Ms. Lựu, the number of doses needed to cure depends on what the higher power gives. But she asserts, "For stomach problems, you can't get better without drinking three doses of the medicine." Ms. Hương cites an example: "Someone with a herniated disc came here and spent 6.8 million VND on medicine and was cured. If they had gone to the hospital for surgery, it would have cost hundreds of millions of VND…" Meanwhile, according to Mr. N.D.H, a former patient who received treatment for stomach problems there, he recounted: "I had stomach problems and went there for treatment, taking three doses of medicine, but my condition didn't improve. Then Mr. Dieu said I needed to be treated gradually for the disease to be cured, but I stopped because it was essentially a scam, a waste of time and money, and the disease wasn't treated properly, so it only got worse."

Not only did Mr. Điều prescribe medicine without a scientific basis, but he also practiced fortune-telling. A person from Đức Lâm, Hà Tĩnh, who was being examined and having their family fortune told Mr. Điều, "These people (the deceased) will enter the house of the second child, but the eldest son will rarely enter... Be careful on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, the eldest son should watch out, not ride a motorbike or go to the river, but stay home and light incense to pray to heaven, earth, and ancestors..." He then instructed them to buy two sets of white and red clothes made of real fabric to burn... According to Mrs. Lựu, on the 15th, 1st, 18th, and 21st of the lunar month, many people come to Linh Sơn Temple to chant scriptures. Therefore, it will be difficult to get medicine on these days.

We learned that most of the people who come to Mr. Điều's Linh Sơn Temple are from other places, not locals. "Some visitors ask for directions, others hire a ride to Mr. Điều's house, but they're all from elsewhere. No one from my area comes here to ask Mr. Điều for treatment," said a local rickshaw driver.

Speaking with us, Mr. Ho Cong Khoan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Tam commune, affirmed that Mr. Dieu's activities were superstitious in nature. The commune had repeatedly inspected, warned, and issued written warnings, but Mr. Dieu ignored them and continued to violate the regulations.

Mr. Điều's self-proclaimed status as a "supernatural being" and his practice of superstitious healing have been going on for decades, yet they continue to operate openly. Gullible people who seek treatment here end up losing money and suffering further harm. If not promptly and decisively stopped by the local authorities, this will disrupt public order and security in the area, and could even endanger the lives of those who are easily deceived. We request that the Quỳnh Tam commune authorities and relevant agencies of Quỳnh Lưu district investigate, address, and stop this superstitious healing practice, and restore order and security in the area.

Text and photos: Dang Nguyen