In a multi-ethnic borderland, along with functional forces, reputable people play a particularly important role. With their prestige and responsibility, they become a “bridge” connecting the Party’s will with the people’s hearts, acting as “milestones of the people’s hearts” at the border, contributing to refuting wrongful allegations, consolidating the great national unity bloc, and protecting the ideological foundation of the Party from the grassroots level.

Part 1: The “gap” in ideological battlefield

Điện Biên is a mountainous, border province where over 83% of the population are ethnic minorities, the people’s lives still face many difficulties, and intellectual levels are uneven. In some places, language barriers along with customs and backward practices have unintentionally created “gaps” in the ideological battlefield. This is also an environment that hostile forces exploit to distort and incite separatist ideologies, dividing the great national unity bloc.

“Bottlenecks” in the highlands

With 19 ethnic groups living together, Điện Biên converges a diversity of cultures, languages, customs, and beliefs. But this very diversity is what hostile forces try to infiltrate and spread distorted allegations against. In particular, the areas where the Hmông ethnic people live (the most populous in the province with over 38% of the population) are always considered by hostile forces as focal points to step up illegal dissemination activities, especially evil cults.

The lesson from the incident that occurred in Huổi Khon village, Nậm Kè commune in 2011 is still valid as a warning today. Simply due to blindness and lack of information, over 7,000 people from all over, from Điện Biên, Lai Châu, and Sơn La to the Central Highlands, were lured and incited by bad actors to gather in large numbers, spreading the allegation demanding the establishment of a “Hmông Kingdom,” causing a serious loss of security and order in the border area.

Giàng A Dơ from Huổi Khon 2 village, Nậm Kè commune, who once participated in the activity to establish the “Hmông Kingdom,” recounted: Bad actors exploited the people’s ignorance, especially those who are illiterate, to incite and lure them into believing wrongful allegations about a “separate state.” I, like many others, believed in the promises of a happy life, having food without working, and being granted money and land. Only later, when disseminated and explained by cadres, did I understand that I had been exploited.

Although the incident is 15 years in the past, those “bottlenecks” have not been completely eradicated in many highland villages to this day. Currently, the rate of poor and near-poor ethnic minority households is still 40.30%; the entire province still has 923 out of 1,446 villages and hamlets classified as exceptionally difficult, and many communes have 100% exceptionally difficult villages such as: Mường Toong, Nà Bủng, Nậm Nèn, Tìa Dình... Difficult living conditions and limited access to society leave many people illiterate or not fluent in the national language, becoming an “invisible wall” in accessing information and the guidelines of the Party and the State.

As of 2025, 10% of the province’s population aged 15 - 60 is still illiterate at level 2. For instance, in Phìn Hồ village, Si Pa Phìn commune, the language barrier remains one of the major bottlenecks. Cháng A Dung, Secretary of the Party Cell of Phìn Hồ village, Si Pa Phìn commune, stated: The whole village has 178 households, with over 1,000 residents, 100% of whom are Hmông. However, nearly 300 people do not know the national language, and those who know it but are not fluent can be found in almost every household.

Illiteracy and limited awareness have unintentionally become a “fertile ground” for hostile forces to infiltrate and disseminate wrongful allegations. In particular, they exploit religious issues and social media to distort the Party and State’s policies on freedom of belief, sow separatist ideologies, and divide the great national unity bloc. Bad actors also entice people to join evil cults such as “Bà cô Dợ”, “Giê Sùa”, “Ân điển cứu rỗi” (Saving Grace), “Đức Chúa trời toàn năng” (Almighty God)... Many contents are transmitted in ethnic languages, hiding under the guise of “cultural sharing”, “preaching”, and “telling historical stories,” easily making gullible people believe and follow them.

The seed of disaster creeps into villages

Exploiting loopholes, bad actors have sought to spread false information, incite separatist ideologies, divide ethnicities and religions, and diminish the people’s trust in the Party and the State. For example, in 2017, some individuals lured and enticed 19 households with 130 residents in Huổi Meo village, Mường Pồn commune (formerly Mường Mươn commune) to follow the “Giê Sùa” evil cult. The incident not only disrupted the lives of the people in the village but also destabilized local security and order.

Hờ A Lử, a reputable person in Huổi Meo village, said: Using tricks through direct dissemination and the internet, bad actors entice people to abandon State-recognized religions to follow evil cults. They also disseminate defamation of the traditional customs of ethnic minorities, dividing the solidarity between the Hmông and other ethnic groups. More seriously, they call on people not to send their children to school and not to comply with the guidelines and policies of the Party and State...

In Na Cô Sa 3 village, Quảng Lâm commune, in 2018, there were 18 households with 98 residents affected by the “Giê Sùa” evil cult, accounting for nearly 11% of the village’s population. Exploiting ignorance and difficult living conditions, bad actors disseminated superstitious and deviant things to lure the compatriots to participate. Having once followed the “Giê Sùa” cult, Vàng A Chung still hasn’t forgotten the time he lived in confusion and delusion. He recounted: “They said there was no need to work, no need to accept State support, no need to send children to school, and no need to go to the hospital when sick because the ‘savior’ would take care of everything. Believing their words and neglecting work, life became increasingly difficult; when parents and children got sick, there was no money for treatment.”

Not only distorting awareness, the appearance of evil cults and distorted allegations directly affects community solidarity. According to Thào A Da, Head of Huổi Khon 2 village, Nậm Kè commune, in the past, the Hmông people were always close-knit and helped each other in life; whenever there was a wedding, funeral, or house building, people joined hands to support. However, since the “Bà cô Dợ” evil cult appeared, many relationships among relatives and neighbors have gradually been divided. Those who follow the evil cult do not attend village meetings, do not participate in community activities, and refuse to interact with or help people of other religions.

In addition to illegal religious dissemination, hostile forces also distort history, denying the Party’s leadership role and revolutionary achievements to sow thoughts of doubt among the people. Typically, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Điện Biên Phủ Victory (May 7, 2024), many distorted allegations appeared on social media, claiming that the victory was not associated with the leadership of the Party or President Hồ Chí Minh, or was merely due to French colonialists’ strategic mistakes... In reality, this is a trick to deny the historical significance of the victory, downplay the Party’s leadership role, and the sacrifices of our army and people.

The Provincial Steering Committee 35 affirms that the sabotage and distortion activities of hostile forces have caused many serious consequences, making a segment of the people confused and diminishing their trust in Party committees and authorities. The wrongful allegations divide the great national unity bloc and give rise to conflicts within communities, clans, and families. In particular, they turn the people’s lives upside down, breaking many traditional cultural values, causing some people to abandon community activities and neglect labor, leading to instability in the border area.

To prevent evil cults and wrongful allegations from infiltrating the villages, the role of reputable people is exceptionally important. Because they are the ones close to the people, who understand the people, speak the compatriots’ language, and have a great influence on the community. With their exemplary nature, responsibility, and persuasive voice, reputable people become a “shield” contributing to keeping the villages peaceful and consolidating the compatriots’ trust in the Party and State.