Lesson III: Exploiting the Poor

(Baonghean)Witnessing the lavishly decorated shrines, the people struggling to save money for offerings and donations, and the resentment of officials and residents living around the Hoang Thien Long shrine area, one can see how Nguyen Thi Dien is exploiting the people's reverence for the leader for personal gain...

In Hong Quang commune, Ung Hoa district, "Master" Dien has now built two shrines. The "Hoang Thien Long" shrine is in Bai Lam Ha village, and the "Dai Phuc Phuc" shrine is in Phu Du village. Both shrines are grandly constructed, with 3-4 stories and covering thousands of square meters.²Furthermore, in Bai Rong village, Thuong Tien commune, Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province, the teacher also built a modern three-story mansion spanning thousands of square meters.²and named it "Dai Son Lam's Divine Medicine Storehouse".

The "thanks" are paid in money, and the "rules" are also paid in money.

The convoy carrying the pilgrims from Nghe An stopped in Phu Du village, after which everyone walked to Dai Phuc Phuc Temple. It was still early morning, the temple was closed and silent, but instead of resting, the devotees flocked to the shops already prepared to welcome customers. Everyone eagerly sought to buy "National News Updates on the Underworld," which consisted of photocopied sheets of paper with some naive poems, newly published video discs by "Master" Dien, and envelopes. Some bought one or two envelopes, others bought five or seven. They spread out to various corners, grabbing a quick bite of rice balls, corn on the cob, or a loaf of bread while diligently writing down their names and hometowns on the envelopes, then secretly slipping in money and carefully sealing them as a "thanksgiving offering." When asked, everyone responded with the same sentiment: "Sincere thanks to Uncle Ho and contributing to the development of our religion."

Then she asked, "Why do some people prepare a dozen envelopes of thanksgiving offerings at once?" "Many people are too busy with work to come, so they send them to us to place the thanksgiving offerings..." Mrs. H replied. A businesswoman, showing her expertise, said, "Putting the money here isn't very effective. I do it at home. Whatever you intend to put in, you place it all on the altar for the deity to witness, then take it with you to place at the shrine – that's more secure..." Then she instructed, "After you've 'recited' the prayers, go to Hoang Lien Son's shop to buy the offerings. Buying them there is more effective. The shop owner is the brother-in-law of the 'master,' and the offerings have all been 'certified' by the 'master,' unlike the items at other shops. Those other shops just piggyback on the 'master's' money; they're not effective at all..."

After completing the formalities, we thought "Master" Dien would then perform the ceremony for the newly converted individuals. However, we were instructed to give the application for conversion and two envelopes to "Ms." Nguyet and a "personnel member" of the group. At this point, "Ms." Nguyet and the "personnel member" held a thick bag of envelopes. "Ms." Nguyet said: "The application and offerings will be presented to the temple for Uncle Ho to witness. Rest assured, Uncle Ho will receive them." Then she reminded us: "When the temple opens, follow everyone inside to perform the ceremony."

Around 7:30 AM, the Dai Phuc Phuc temple opened its doors. As the group entered, several elderly men stood in a line along the walkway, solemnly reminding everyone: "Everyone, straighten your clothes, clasp your hands in front of your chest, and refrain from private conversations. When visiting Uncle Ho, you must show reverence..." The temple was located on the third floor. Besides a few people bustling around serving, there were also two people filming and taking photos to "preserve the memories of the Nghe An delegation visiting Uncle Ho." All the ceremonial rituals lasted only 15 minutes before everyone was told to leave to make room for another group. Afterwards, everyone was instructed to go to the adjacent shrine dedicated to Uncle Ho to continue their prayers.

Here, in front of the altar, where a picture of Uncle Ho hangs, is a rather large tray for worshippers to place cash. Everyone who comes to the temple is reminded to come here and then follow suit to place another offering of money. When the ceremony ends, the "leaders" announce that the Nghe An delegation is "very lucky" to have met and spoken with the "master." "Master" Dien is small in stature and appears quite simple, wearing only dark trousers and a white shirt. He stands in a secluded corner and speaks to himself for about 10 minutes, the content of which contains threats about a world full of demons, diseases, fires, floods, pollution, war... and at the end, he urges everyone to "unite" and follow his religion.

Around 9 am, the group from Nghe An left Phu Du village to go to the Hoang Thien Long temple for worship. This temple is located right next to National Highway 6, only about 2 km from Yen Wharf (leading to Huong Tich Pagoda). Like the Dai Phuc Phuc temple, the Hoang Thien Long temple is a large house with many spires and rooms, the most prominent in Bai Lam Ha village. And on the third floor of the temple, there is also a separate altar for worshippers to place money. A rough estimate of the money in envelopes and cash offerings from each worshipper is only 100,000 VND, meaning Nguyen Thi Dien and her associates collected no less than 30 million VND from 300 people from Nghe An. And the collection didn't stop there, because at that moment, three more cars with license plates from Nam Dinh and Hanoi arrived.

Inside the Great Blessing Hall of the Huang Tian Long cult.

The locals boycotted it.

Strangely, while some people in other provinces and cities believed in "Master" Dien, the people of Hong Quang commune were completely indifferent. Many people living right next to the Hoang Thien Long temple, when asked, expressed their anger and asserted that Nguyen Thi Dien was engaging in illegal activities for personal gain. Mr. Dinh Bach Van, a resident whose house is opposite the Hoang Thien Long temple, said: "I don't understand why people everywhere blindly believe in Mrs. Dien like that. There's no way she can cure diseases." Mr. Van lifted his shirt to reveal the radiotherapy scars on his chest for the reporter to film and said: "I have lung cancer. If Mrs. Dien could cure it, I would have followed her to save money. I spent hundreds of millions of dong on radiotherapy at the Cancer Hospital to survive; if I had followed Mrs. Dien, I would have died long ago."

Meanwhile, Ms. Tran Thi Luong, wife of Mr. Ta Thuyet Dac, head of Bai Lam Ha village, said: "I don't usually want to get involved in other people's affairs. If they're smart, they'll get away with it, and if they're foolish, they'll have to suffer. But if I see injustice and don't speak up, I'll be in the wrong. What kind of religion is this? What kind of crazy, insane religion is this... only aiming to extort money from the people, and many families will end up bankrupt because of it." Ms. Luong recounted: "There was a young man from Nam Dinh who was in his second year of university in Hanoi, and his family forced him to follow the 'Master Dien's' religion. This young man told me: 'My mind is now completely messed up. If I don't go to the ceremony for a month, I feel restless and uneasy, so I had to drop out of school.' I told him: 'Don't smell the incense, don't eat or drink anything that people offer as prayers, and you'll probably be fine in a few days.'"

Last month, this young man returned and said: "I did as you told me, and thankfully, my mind is fine now." According to Village Head Ta Thuyet Dac, Mrs. Dien's actions not only lacked support from the government and people of Hong Quang commune, but everyone was also annoyed and resentful. Mr. Dac said: "No one in this entire commune or district follows Mrs. Dien's religion; only people from other provinces come here. And perhaps she didn't even establish it herself; there must be some kind of 'advisors' and disciples behind her to bewitch so many people from all over to follow her..."

Officials in Hong Quang commune are also having a hard time dealing with Nguyen Thi Dien's religious practices. Dao Van Huong, the commune's police chief, said that this has caused significant difficulties and damage to the reputation of the Hong Quang commune and Ung Hoa district police forces. During holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), people from all over flock to the area, causing security and traffic safety issues. The commune and district authorities have repeatedly requested the city to take action, but the problem remains unresolved.

According to officials in Hong Quang commune, Nguyen Thi Dien only has a 7th-grade education. Her husband works as a tax officer in Ung Hoa district, and she has three grown children (two sons and one daughter) who stay at home doing nothing. Ms. Dien used to work in agriculture, then switched to the food and construction materials business but suffered losses. In 2001, she wrote Buddhist scriptures and boasted that she was blessed by President Ho Chi Minh to deceive the people. From a state of business losses and debt, she now has a lot of money and has built lavish mansions worth billions of dong for her children. Mr. Nguyen Van Son, head of the Hong Quang commune office, added: Ms. Dien owns three mansions. The mansion in Bai Lam Ha village is managed by her second son; the mansion in Phu Du village belongs to her eldest son; and her daughter, who married into a family in Bai Rong hamlet, Thuong Tien commune, Kim Boi district, also received a large house built by Ms. Dien.

Mr. Nguyen Van Son, in charge of the Hong Quang Commune Office, shared:

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We hired a driver named Thanh from Bai Lam Ha village to take us to Hoa Binh province. Along the way, Thanh boasted: "I'm often hired by Mrs. Dien to drive her around. Before, Mrs. Dien was in debt of 160 million dong, but since she started practicing her religion, she's made an incredible amount of money..."

Mr. Thanh said:

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Traveling through Hoa Binh province, we visited the mountainous area of ​​Thuong Tien, Kim Boi district, to investigate Nguyen Thi Dien's "Dai Son Lam Miracle Medicine Store." The three-story mansion with dozens of rooms, named Dai Son Lam, still stands, but the "Miracle Medicine Store" has been closed by the Kim Boi district authorities. Nguyen Thi Dien's deceptive nature for personal gain has been exposed. Mr. Bui Van Nhien, Deputy Head of the Culture Department of Kim Boi district, stated that Ms. Dien's religion is a heretical sect not recognized. Her exploitation of President Ho Chi Minh's image to deceive the people, claiming stream water as "miracle water" capable of curing all diseases and selling it to "followers" for 500,000 to 1 million dong, is a fraudulent scheme for profit. Gathering large crowds to preach, selling unlicensed videos and books, violates the law and is therefore opposed by the people and strictly prohibited by the authorities.

Mr. Bui Van Nhien said

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(To be continued)

Text and photos:Nhat Lan - Viet Long