Religious Highlights in the Northwest Region
During Christmas 2023, the Hau Thao sub-parish church in the mountains (Hang Da Hamlet, Hau Chu Village, Hau Thao Commune, Sa Pa Town, Lao Cai Province) was filled with joy and had a festive ambiance. At 9am, the brass band of the church started playing jubilant Christmas music. The parishioners, dressed in colorful traditional attire, immersed themselves in the joyful and warm atmosphere, helping to dispel the icy cold during the winter days.
Inside the church, Father Peter Pham Thanh Binh, the parish priest of Sa Pa who is also responsible for the Hau Thao sub-parish, passionately delivered a sermon about faith and the spirit of “living a good religious and virtuous life” and wished local Catholics a warm and merry Christmas season. The church of Hau Thao sub-parish is an impressive cathedral, built in a Gothic architectural style intertwined with cultural features of the local Mong. It serves as the religious center for over 700 Mong Catholic believers in Hau Thao.
Welcoming us with a warm smile, Ma A Sinh, a 40-yearold Mong Catholic from Hang Da Hamlet, said that in the past, there was no direct road to the hamlet. They had to go through steep rocky cliffs and wade through streams that would take an entire day. During that time, to hold major ceremonies, the Hau Thao parishioners had to travel to Sa Pa to guide the parish priest to the church for the service.
Thanks to the policies of the Party and the government, a paved road connecting the villages was built, making it much more convenient for religious activities of the local community. After attending the morning service in Hau Thao, we followed Father Peter Pham Thanh Binh back to Sa Pa to attend the Holy Mass on Christmas Eve at the stone church in Sa Pa.
The stone church is considered a symbol of the misty town of Sa Pa. In 1902, the Paris Foreign Missions Society established the Sa Pa parish and constructed this church in 1925 in the heart of the town. Sa Pa has been the home to the Kinh and other ethnic minority communities such as the Mong, Dao, Tay, and Day for a long time. During Christmas celebrations, the stone church of Sa Pa stands out with charming beauty thanks to various decorations and the colorful costumes of the local ethnic groups.
Like many other areas in the Northwest region, the Sa Pa parish was once a poor region and the locals mainly made their living from tourism and agriculture. Therefore, the local authorities have proactively implemented many policies of the Party and government and initiatives to support the locals to develop the economy, preserve cultural identity, live a good religious and virtuous life, and foster unity to make this tourist destination more peaceful, prosperous, and happy.
Sin Suoi Ho - A Place of Happiness with Harmony in Religion and Life
Sin Suoi Ho Hamlet in Sin Suoi Ho Commune, Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province is home to 149 Mong households with over 650 residents, of which more than 500 follow the Protestant faith. It is the most attractive community-based tourist attraction in Lai Chau Province. In 2023, at the International Tourism Fair held in Indonesia, Sin Suoi Ho Hamlet was honored as the most appealing community-based tourism destination in ASEAN for 2022.
We arrived at a place for Protestant activities in Sin Suoi Ho at the end of the year when the weather was cool and refreshing. The Mong Protestants in the village wore their most beautiful traditional costumes and were eager to celebrate Christmas 2023.
In the pulpit, besides teaching religious doctrines, Pastor Hang A Xa also encouraged the community to unite and develop their economy, pursue wealth through legitimate means, and not believe or follow the distortions of those who oppose the Party and the State's policies. When talking about the change of Sin Suoi Ho, many people often mention phrases like "the miracle of Sin Suoi Ho," "the wonders of Sin Suoi Ho," or "strange stories in the addicted Sin Suoi Ho Village". In the past, Sin Suoi Ho was a poor village that specialized in opium poppy cultivation, and over 90% of the villagers were addicted. It was opium that drove the locals to impoverishment, misery, and suffering from many diseases, and also caused other vices.
Pastor Hang A Xa said: "There were some drug addicts in my family. However, after studying religious doctrines and receiving local government information and explanations about the harm of drugs, they were determined to undergo detoxification to start a new life. From 2005, the number of addicts decreased gradually and after ten years, the village is now free of drug addicts”.
Thanks to his efforts in calling for people to implement the Party and State's policies and promote unity for economic and social development and building Sin Suoi Ho Hamlet into the most famous community-based tourist destination in ASEAN, Pastor Hang A Xa was one of 75 role models nationwide awarded certificates of merit by the Prime Minister in 2023.
Due to the implementation of the new rural development movement in 2012, the roads leading to Sin Suoi Ho Hamlet were paved. The locals have also developed additional occupations such as cultivating orchids, peach blossoms, and apricots to boost the economy. As a result, the hamlet now has a new face, looking cleaner, more beautiful, and more prosperous than before.
Notably, many people in the hamlet have also learned about tourism to establish community-based tourism models for developing local and household income. With relentless efforts, Sin Suoi Ho hamlet was recognized as a community-based tourism destination by the People's Committee of Lai Chau Province in 2015. The recognition is a foundation and motivation for the Sin Suoi Ho villagers to continue developing tourism and cultivating orchids for economic development.
Today, Sin Suoi Ho hamlet has over 10 households engaged in providing homestay services. Many families have invested in building or upgrading their guesthouses to meet the increasing demand of tourists. The locals also implemented an area free of alcohol, smoking, gambling littering, and environmental destruction.
Sin Suoi Ho hamlet in general and the Sin Suoi Ho Protestant community in particular, have received special attention from the Party, State, and authorities at all levels. The Government Committee for Religious Affairs, the Provincial Committee for Religious Affairs, and the local authorities have created favorable conditions to guide locals in fulfilling their religious activities. On important religious occasions, they always support and encourage the local religious believers./.
Story: Tat Son Photos: Tat Son & Thanh Giang/VNP
Translated by Hong Hanh Designed by Trang Nhung