Rectify the chaotic situation at the Ong Hoang Muoi Temple.

Misleading donation

In mid-March, following the incident where a member of the Management Board of Ong Hoang Muoi Temple (Hung Thinh commune, Hung Nguyen district) stole money, causing negative public opinion, the temple still welcomed many visitors who came to offer incense. Inside the temple, after receiving many complaints, the management board also made some changes.

However, upon arriving at the temple, one immediately encounters the unpleasant scene that has persisted for many years: parking lot attendants standing in the middle of the road with sticks, aggressively soliciting and waving customers into the parking lot whenever a car approaches.

Inside the temple, the Management Board has also installed surveillance cameras at the location where the donation box is sealed. Signs have been posted on the altars indicating "Do not offer money on the altar."

However, according to the reporter's observations, most people coming to offer prayers remained indifferent to this instruction. Right below that sign, there were still many stacks of money offered by tourists. This is the very source of money that the temple management board has been struggling to control effectively for a long time.

The management board of the Ong Hoang Muoi Temple has 15 people, including a 7-person operational team and an 8-person security team. Every day, the members are divided into 4 shifts (6-7 people per shift), tasked with collecting donations from the shrines and putting them into a safe. However, whether the collected money is actually put into the safe seems to be unchecked.

During his shift on February 25th, as usual, Mr. BVT and the other members of his team carried out their assigned duties, collecting donations from people at the various shrines in the temple and placing them in the donation box. While collecting money at the central hall, Mr. BVT stole some money, put it in a cake box, and then hid it in the security guard's room. This process was recorded on video by someone. After the media reported on the incident, the police clarified that the amount stolen was over 1 million VND. The Hung Nguyen District Police subsequently issued an administrative fine of 2.5 million VND for the theft of property by Mr. BVT, and returned the entire amount of money that Mr. BVT had stolen to the Management Board of Ong Hoang Muoi Temple.

The incident has raised questions among the public about whether this situation has occurred many times before, especially since the temple has experienced several similar incidents in the past. For example, in 2013, the temple management board was discovered frequently transporting donations outside the temple to "hire people to count them." The reason given for this behavior was that "the counting company needed a lot of small change to supplement customer payments, and the management board, with its nine members, didn't assign them to count the money because some members were elderly and suffered from back pain from sitting for long periods." Following this incident, the People's Committee of Hung Thinh commune replaced the entire management board and replaced the donation box with a safe.

However, not long after, at the end of 2013, another theft occurred here that caused a public uproar. According to reports, because the amount of donations was quite large, the People's Committee of Hung Thinh commune assigned several finance and treasury officials to assist the Management Board in counting the money. While everyone was counting, the Deputy Head of the Temple Management Board discovered a commune official hiding a package of money on his person and burying it under a blanket on a bed in the money counting room. The total amount of money stolen from the package was 20 million dong.

The Management Board subsequently held a review, and the commune official confessed to "discussing with some colleagues to keep the money for drinking during Tet." Following a series of scandals, the authorities of Hung Nguyen district intervened to rectify the Temple Management Board and protect the annual revenue from donations. Accordingly, Hung Nguyen district now directly manages the temple instead of Hung Thinh commune as before.

Since the People's Committee of Hung Nguyen District took direct management, the amount of donations collected at the Ong Hoang Muoi Temple has increased many times over. Previously, over 11 years, the total amount of donations deposited into the State Treasury was only 1.5 billion VND. But since the establishment of the new Management Board in 2014, the average annual amount of donations collected has exceeded 11 billion VND, reaching 17 billion VND in 2023 alone. Currently, the temple has 14 donation boxes located in 13 shrines and the Management Board's office. On normal days, the donations are counted and deposited into the State Treasury at the end of each day. However, during the days leading up to the anniversary of Ong Hoang Muoi's death (10th day of the 10th lunar month), there are so many visitors from all over the country who come to pay their respects and participate in spirit medium rituals that it is impossible to count the money on the same day.

We will gradually rectify the situation.

According to the leaders of Hung Nguyen District People's Committee, after receiving the directive from the Provincial People's Committee, the locality held many meetings to hear reports on the management of historical sites in the area; the operating regulations of the Management Board of Ong Hoang Muoi Temple; and the operating regulations of the donation monitoring team established by the District People's Committee.

“To gradually rectify and bring all activities at the historical site into order, the District People's Committee has directed the Management Board of Ong Hoang Muoi Temple to hold a meeting to thoroughly understand several points. This includes stabilizing the morale of those working at the temple, preventing them from being swayed by the incitement and provocation of undesirable elements. The shifts are reassigned to ensure the smooth operation of all activities at the temple. The task of collecting money from the altars is assigned to members of the management board on duty. Attendance tracking is strictly enforced, uniforms and ID badges are worn, and alcohol consumption is prohibited during working hours at the temple. A civilized lifestyle, polite communication, and welcoming of visitors are encouraged. Environmental sanitation, fire prevention, and firefighting efforts are also strengthened.”"...security and order," the leader of the Hung Nguyen District People's Committee stated.

Regarding the theft of money by members of the management board, on March 14th, the District People's Committee also held a meeting to consider handling the cases of those on duty on February 25th. Specifically, one person was forced to resign from the position of Deputy Head of the Board; one person was removed from the Management Board; and one person had their employment contract terminated.

According to the leaders of Hung Nguyen District People's Committee, the locality is currently selecting personnel to join the Management Board to ensure continuity and effectively promote the values ​​of the historical site. A monitoring team will be established to oversee activities and donations at the site. The management of the shamans will be strengthened, and commitments to comply with the site's regulations will be signed.

“The People's Committee of Hung Nguyen District is reviewing and supplementing some contents into the regulations on management, organization, and operation of the Ong Hoang Muoi Temple historical and cultural relic. After the operational regulations are issued, the Relic Management Board will issue documents assigning tasks, internal operating regulations, etc., to ensure that the management and organization of activities are rigorous, scientific, and professional,” said a leader of the Hung Nguyen District People's Committee, adding that the Temple Management Board is also coordinating with the District Police to develop a coordination regulation to ensure security and order. After reaching an agreement, a signing ceremony for the commitment to implementation will be held.

Furthermore, in the coming period, the People's Committee of Hung Nguyen district will also strengthen the management of service areas (stalls, shops, and parking lots). The People's Committee of Hung Thinh commune will be tasked with signing commitments with stall and shop owners to refrain from soliciting or aggressively attracting customers in a way that is offensive in the historical site area.

“The administrative staff at the temple are mostly residents of Xuan Am hamlet, while the number of district and commune officials involved in the temple's management is too small. Therefore, appointing people to the Management Board must be appropriate to their field of work. Furthermore, those who hold dual roles are already undertaking quite heavy professional tasks in a period of high specialization and downsizing, so some activities at the temple still involve protection and cover-ups. In particular, the majority of people in Xuan Am hamlet still hold the belief that the temple belongs to their hamlet,” the leader of the Hung Nguyen District People's Committee added.