A fictitious certificate

(Baonghean) - The incident happened a few months ago, but every time it's mentioned, Mr. Vi Van Minh, head of the Farmers' Association branch in Mong village, Cam Muon commune (Que Phong district), is still upset. He said the villagers are honest and trusting, but the main reason is also the commune and district authorities; because of "higher authorities," he continues to feel "ashamed" in front of the villagers.

That morning, an official from the commune's Farmers' Association, accompanied by a group of young people on motorbikes, arrived to meet with the village committee to "work" with the villagers. One of the "officials," speaking with a Northern accent, said they had been sent to the village to guide the villagers on how to take photos of Farmers' Association members; and to encourage them to accept the "Certificate of Excellent Production and Business" from the Provincial Farmers' Association. While speaking, he showed a sample of the "certificate," framed in plastic, measuring 30 x 45 cm, resembling a commendation certificate with the full name of the issuing agency, the name, and the permanent address of the recipient. At first glance, the certificate looked nice and colorful, so few noticed that it lacked an official seal and signature. Seeing the village head's concern, "Nearly 80% of the households here are poor, so it's rare to find a household that excels in production and business," the official quickly explained, "It's just to encourage the villagers!" Hearing this, and with the presence of the commune's farmers' association official, the village head assigned Mr. Minh to gather all the villagers to listen to the "working group's" presentation.

According to the team leader, the villagers can get the cards for free, but those who want a beautiful "Certificate" like this one have to pay 250,000 dong. Of course, if someone pays more, the frame will be more "impressive." The villagers passed around the glass frame containing the sample "Certificate," marveling at it. It would look so cool hanging in the house, but paying that much...

At that time, the head of the Farmers' Association in Mong village thought: "I should encourage the villagers to accept. Maybe it will give a boost to the association's 'movement.' Besides, at least a commune official took the time to bring people here. And he said the commune had a formal document from the district, so it wasn't just an ordinary matter." Thinking this, he targeted the relatively well-off families in the village and asked them to apply. It might cost a little, but they would gain prestige. Not to mention, the "working group" also took the time to record the association's "historical events" to create a "golden book of tradition." He had to be impressed! Following the head of the association's advice, about half the households in Mong village registered for the "Certificate of Excellent Production and Business." Of course, among them were quite a few poor households, and naturally, they weren't the most successful businesspeople in the village. Nearly a week later, the head of the local branch was invited to the commune office to receive the "certificates" that the villagers had registered for. Seeing the overwhelming pile of photo frames, he had to call some young men to bring a new motorbike to transport them all back to distribute to the villagers.

Locals recounted receiving certificates of "Excellent Production and Business Membership" from police officers.

It's not just Cam Muon commune in Que Phong district that's been affected; several other communes have faced similar situations recently. The matter was reported to the authorities and relevant agencies. Upon investigation, it was discovered that not only the Que Phong Farmers' Association was deceived, but also several individuals in leadership positions at higher levels of the association were caught off guard. According to a district official, Hoang Anh Co., Ltd., headquartered in Hanoi and specializing in the production and sale of school equipment, was "caring" for the farmers' association's production activities.

In fact, this kind of "money-making" scheme isn't new. A few years ago, in many communes of a northern province, many veterans enthusiastically gathered at the commune headquarters to receive "Certificates of Outstanding Veterans." It sounded appealing. But even more appealing were the two lines of text on either side, resembling a couplet, printed very prominently: "Unwavering loyalty to the Fatherland - Loyalty to comrades," issued by the "Central Committee of the Veterans Association," complete with a red seal and the chairman's signature. To receive this certificate, each veteran had to pay 80,000 dong. But alas, before many could even display it in a prominent place in their homes, authorities discovered it was a forgery by fraudsters. Everything was fake, from the seal to the signature. The problem was, by the time the fraud was discovered, thousands of veterans had already lost their money, and the fraudsters had already fled.

Recently, some organizations (both legal and illegal) have been targeting rural areas, especially mountainous and remote regions, for unethical business and marketing practices. The Nghe An Newspaper recently reported on the Amway multi-level marketing scheme in Tam Hop commune (Quy Hop district), causing public outrage. Not long ago, many teachers in the remote Ky Son district complained about a center for children with disabilities from Hanoi coming to schools in the district to perform singing and... raise money for charity. Meanwhile, residents in villages in districts like Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, and Do Luong are heartbroken after having to pay two or three times the normal price for medicine when medical teams come to examine patients and sell medication.

To conduct their business successfully, these individuals employ many different tactics. However, they all share a common goal: they try to "infiltrate" local organizations or authorities to "lure" people. Whether their intentions succeed or not certainly depends on the vigilance and competence of responsible local officials.

Le Thach Vinh