Part 2: Tangible consequences

More concerningly, when information remains incomplete and perceptions are unaligned, these voids can be exploited to deepen rifts, sway ideology, undermine trust, and fracture multi-ethnic unity.

Preventing differences from turning into barriers

The consequences of these gaps are not abstract; they manifest clearly within the changing dynamics of community life. In Pa Bói village, Thanh Yên commune, this is readily apparent. Pa Bói village was established through the merger of Hoàng Yên, Pa Bói, and the former Yên Sơn villages from July 1, 2026. Bringing together communities that previously maintained distinct demographics and customs, the village now comprises 297 households with over 1,100 inhabitants representing 8 ethnic groups: Kinh, Thái, Dao, Hmông, Khơ Mú, Nùng, Tày, and Thổ coexisting in one locality.

When existing as separate communities, each village had a small population where residents knew one another, and public tasks were primarily deliberated and executed within close-knit circles. Following the merger, the communal space broadened, ethnic demographics diversified, and varied mindsets, practices, and living habits emerged, making inter-ethnic cohesion more challenging.

A minor incident in Pa Bói village highlights this distance. After the merger, the village launched a campaign asking each household to contribute VND 10,000 to assist the local school in buying plants. Despite the modest sum and community-oriented purpose, the appeal met little enthusiasm, with only 2 out of 297 households contributing. According to Nông Thị Thương Hằng, Secretary of the Pa Bói Village Party Cell, the contrast is stark when compared to the pre-merger period. Prior to the consolidation, she served as Head of the Farmers’ Association Branch in the former Yên Sơn village. When the policy to pave village roads with concrete was introduced, residents of Yên Sơn voluntarily donated thousands of square meters of land and contributed hundreds of millions of VND, averaging roughly VND 700,000 per person, with some households contributing nearly VND 10,000,000, successfully concretizing 100% of the village’s internal roads.

According to Nông Thị Thương Hằng, post-merger challenges lie not only in organizing joint activities but also in building consensus to translate new policies and tasks into reality. The village leadership is predominantly young, whereas a segment of elderly villagers remains cautious and unconvinced by new organizational methods, being accustomed to previous ways of living and working. Matters deemed appropriate and convenient by young cadres may not convince older residents. Consequently, to strengthen ethnic solidarity, the village Party cell determined the necessity of patiently listening, explaining, and mobilizing to foster gradual consensus among ethnic groups, with Party members actively leading by exemplary action.

Huổi Pinh village in Mường Toong commune was formed by merging the former Huổi Pinh and Huổi Đanh villages, encompassing 159 households, mostly from the Hmông and Khơ Mú ethnic groups. As an extremely disadvantaged village with high poverty rates, rallying and encouraging villagers to shift farming methods and increase incomes is urgent. However, differences in customs, traditions, and daily habits have hindered uniform participation in communal activities and slowed the full adoption of village conventions, with several households maintaining distance from other ethnic groups.

These issues existed even before the merger. Hầu A Dành, a resident of Huổi Pinh village, reflected that villagers often encounter conflicting information without knowing what is accurate. In the absence of clear explanations, many follow acquaintances or trusted figures, fostering anxiety. Consequently, some households previously refused Covid-19 vaccinations for their children or showed reluctance in contributing resources toward new rural construction.

According to Thào Seo Sình, Secretary of the Huổi Pinh village Party Cell, a lack of unity not only disrupts community life but also impedes local development. In previous years, deceitful elements led some villagers to sell off cattle, poultry, and even farmland at low prices. Instead of improving their livelihoods, several families plunged into deeper hardship, losing their productive assets and means of living. These consequences show that when residents lack information, sharing, and reliable support, invisible gaps can easily be exploited, exacting a heavy toll on livelihoods.

These realities reveal that bringing a policy into life requires not only sound directives but also popular consensus. Administrative boundaries can be merged through a single decision, but integrating communities accustomed to separate living spaces requires a prolonged process. This proves vital given that Điện Biên has 888 villages, hamlets, and residential groups, all located in mountainous areas, of which 818 belong to ethnic minority areas and 632 are classified as extremely disadvantaged. These figures underline that the post-merger equation involves far more than redrawing borders or streamlining the administrative apparatus; it demands reconciling differences, narrowing divides, and building consensus for mutual progress. This calls for heightened caution in a border province adjacent to Laos and China, where any void in information and perception can engender complex political security challenges.

Small voids, substantial risks

Beyond hindering development, informational gaps can serve as footholds for distorted rhetoric and misinformation to distort public perception, undermine trust, and fracture the great national solidarity bloc. This has previously occurred within the province.

The experience of Vàng A Sình, an ethnic Hmông resident of Huổi Khon village, Nậm Kè commune, illustrates how such voids can be exploited. In 2019, he abandoned Protestantism to follow the heterodox sect “Bà cô Dợ,” persuaded by promises of a better life. Yet his family’s condition deteriorated: his parents fell ill without funds for medical treatment, and their fields were neglected. Believing he had found a different path, Vàng A Sình and his family grew alienated from their community.

His story demonstrates that harmful rhetoric can infiltrate daily life through modest vulnerabilities: economic hardships, unexplained traditions, unmet spiritual needs, or personal insecurities. Without prompt clarification, these anxieties are easily manipulated. From an individual’s distorted viewpoint, false narratives can spread, creating rifts between residents and their community, as well as between different ethnic groups.

The case of Cháng A Sùng in Co Đứa village, Na Sang commune, offers another clear example. Having once followed the “Bà cô Dợ” sect, he understands how unverified information impacts thoughts, beliefs, and livelihoods. In 2017, he discovered the sect via social media, with online content stoking his curiosity. By January 2018, he adopted the faith, departing from ethnic customs and resisting Party and State policies.

A turning point arrived in 2023, when Cháng A Sùng realized that the teachings contradicted Hmông traditions and violated the principles of State-recognized religions. Practical reality showed him that following the sect failed to transform families’ lives; many households remained impoverished, finances declined, and internal conflicts arose. Recognizing that the teachings diverged from his people’s customs and failed to deliver prosperity, and guided by cadres’ explanations, he and his family chose to renounce the “Bà cô Dợ” sect.

These cases indicate that consolidating trust cannot rely solely on periodic communication drives, but must begin with addressing tangible everyday concerns. When residents see local administrations demonstrate care for their livelihoods, culture, and spiritual lives - and when traditions are respected and differences met with open dialogue - they gain solid grounds to place their trust, share, and collaborate.

This provides the path to prevent ethnic, linguistic, and cultural distinctions from hardening into divisions. Within a multi-ethnic community, solidarity does not require erasing differences; rather, it entails providing sufficient space for communities to understand, respect, and pursue mutual interests together. When trust is reinforced, information flows transparently, and citizens actively engage in collective affairs, vulnerabilities are closed, communal strength converges, and differences serve as cultural assets that enrich society rather than barriers to growth.