The horrifying truth about Kuman Thong dolls.

Types of superstition

Kuman Thong is a type of mystical guardian spirit in Thai folklore. In Thai, Kuman Thong means "golden boy" or "spirit child." Kuman Thong is created by extracting a fetus from its mother's body, then a sorcerer takes it to a cemetery to perform a ritual to summon the spirit. This is considered a humane act, expressing maternal love.

However, this meaning was later distorted by many unscrupulous individuals who claimed that Kuman Thong could bring good luck and fortune, deceiving gullible people for illicit gain. When these dolls were introduced to Vietnam, they were suddenly portrayed as a type of amulet or charm and became a tool for many people to make money.

Many types of Kuman Thong dolls are being sold on social media.

Recently, the phenomenon of "Kuman Thong dolls" has appeared in several provinces and cities, causing public concern and becoming increasingly complex in a negative direction, affecting people's lives and being exploited for illegal profit. The worship of "Kuman Thong dolls" has appeared in some localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoa Binh, Nghe An, and Ninh Thuan.

Currently, there are no specific statistics on people worshipping or buying and selling these dolls in the province because the worship takes place in families, the objects of worship are dolls, and the violations related to this phenomenon have not occurred openly.

According to the Provincial Religious Affairs Department, the worship of Kuman Thong dolls is mainly practiced by a small segment of businesspeople and traders, and has even been observed among thieves and fraudsters.

Many people treat Kuman Thong dolls like their children, so they often carry them around and pamper them immensely.

Buying and selling "Kuman Thong dolls" is not difficult, as dozens of private groups have been created on social media specializing in exchanging, buying, selling, and caring for "Kuman Thong dolls," such as "groups for raising and caring for spirit children - amulets for business"; "groups for raising Kuman Thong," "groups for buying and selling amulets," "groups for raising and caring for Kuman Thong properly," etc.

Because the profits from selling "Kuman Thong dolls" are considerable, and their quality cannot be verified, unscrupulous individuals have intentionally exaggerated the truth about "Kuman Thong dolls," selling counterfeit "Kuman Thong dolls" and deceiving gullible people for profit.

Rumors about supernatural powers have made "Kuman Thong dolls" an expensive illegal commodity, ranging from a few million to several hundred million dong depending on the material and "abilities" of each type. People worship "Kuman Thong dolls" for various purposes such as increasing wealth (attracting money, customers, and business success); fostering affection (creating positive feelings); and averting misfortune (protecting the owner in case of danger, foretelling dangerous events, etc.).

Consequences of Kuman Thong

Recently, at the Gold View apartment building on Ben Van Don Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, a 24-year-old woman was found dead after falling from the 17th floor. What is particularly unusual is that her death is believed to be related to the fact that she kept a Kuman Thong doll in her home and loved it like her own child.

Specifically, in a message sent to her friend, the young woman proudly boasted: "My child is so well-behaved and affectionate. I'm so lucky that my child chose me to raise." But in a series of other messages sent to her friend, the young woman expressed despair about the world. She even seemed to feel as if she were possessed by demons or black magic.

Many fan pages have been created to share information on how to properly "raise" Kuman Thong.

"The 'Kuman Thong doll' phenomenon harms the economy and fosters a sense of anxiety, dependence, and reliance on luck and magic among believers."

Mr. Luu Cong Vinh - Head of the Provincial Religious Affairs Committee

According to the Provincial Religious Affairs Department, if the production, sale, and use of this phenomenon are not promptly prevented and allowed to become widespread, they will negatively affect the beliefs, cultural and spiritual lives of the people and lead to serious risks for society such as increased trading in fetal remains, various forms of fraud for illegal profit, and impacts on security, order, and social safety.

Given the dangerous effects of Kuman Thong dolls, the Vinh City People's Committee has sent a document to wards and communes to warn against this superstitious practice.

According to the Vinh City People's Committee, the Kuman Thong doll phenomenon violates the law and is subject to the following regulations: Article 11 of the Law on Donation, Procurement, and Transplantation of Human Tissues, Organs, and Bodies; the Law on Handling Administrative Violations of 2012; and Decree 158/2013/ND-CP regulating administrative penalties in the fields of culture, sports, tourism, and advertising; the Investment Law of 2014 specifying prohibited investment and business sectors; and Article 5 of the Law on Beliefs and Religions…

"We need to reach a consensus based on identifying and clearly defining this as a form of superstition that is incompatible with Vietnam's cultural traditions and laws."

Official document from the People's Committee of Vinh City

Vinh City has requested that wards and communes strengthen their efforts in monitoring the situation, promptly detecting, preventing, and strictly handling acts of propaganda, enticement, buying, selling, and use related to "Kuman Thong dolls" in their areas.

At the same time, this will help to promote public awareness about the wrong nature, extremist manifestations, violations, and consequences of "Kuman Thong dolls," preventing individuals from exploiting them for illegal profit.

Raising and caring for Kuman Thong dolls is very expensive and can have many unforeseen consequences. In the photo, many Kuman Thong dolls are sitting together around a meal like real people.

There is no scientific evidence to prove that worshipping corpses in the home brings good luck to the living. Furthermore, from a cultural perspective, the process of creating Kuman Thong dolls is inhumane. There is no such thing as sorcery in Buddhism. And the traditional method of creating a Kuman Thong is banned in Thailand.

Every individual has the right to freedom of religion, but it's also important to understand that if something is considered sacred, it cannot be sold indiscriminately. One shouldn't spend a large sum of money on things that may not necessarily benefit them. Doing so is tantamount to making oneself an easy target for others to exploit and engage in illegal business.