Christians in Vietnam lose homes but cling to Jesus

Minh and his family live in Vietnam. Their faith has come at an enormous cost, but despite everything, they’re persevering. Please continue to stand with our brothers and sisters worldwide who are displaced because of their decision to follow Jesus.

It was a morning like no other for Minh* and his family as they awoke to discover their home and livelihood in ruins. Their front door was shattered, part of their roof ripped open, and their vegetable garden, cornfields and rice fields were decimated.  

They cried out to God, not knowing who had done this – but knowing why.

Nowhere to go

Minh, his wife and their three children live in a remote village in north west Vietnam. They became Christians when a close friend shared his faith with them. The impact was transformative – joy and peace grew among the family, the children’s behaviour improved, and relationships flourished.

But just as faith emerged, so did hostility.

The family is from the Dao ethnic group, which traditionally engages in ancestral worship. When the family refused to participate in a Dao ritual, the village chief and elders summoned Minh and pressured him to renounce his faith. “If you don’t give up this foreign religion, you will no longer have a place in this village!” they threatened.  

It was just days later when the family awoke to destruction. They were subsequently ordered to leave the village by the local authorities, without even being allowed to take their belongings. They had nowhere to go.

But God made a way through the kindness of some nearby Christians. They gave the family food and other key supplies, and helped the family build a temporary bamboo house. Despite losing their home, the family’s faith has not wavered. With quiet strength, Minh says, “We know God is real. Even though we lost our home and community, we still follow Him.”

Kicked out by own son

Another Christian whose faith is unwavering, despite persecution, is Trang*. She, too, has been driven from her own home – not by villagers, but her own son.

It happened when Trang, having recently given her life to Jesus, stopped participating in ancestor worship. Her son, Huy, was furious. He accused her of dishonouring their ancestors. As the family breadwinner, he held power in the home and kicked his mother out, not allowing her to take a single possession with her. “You are no longer part of this family,” he said.

• Why is Vietnam 44^th on the World Watch List?

Trang walked for hours through the forest, not knowing where to go. But just as Minh and his family discovered, God had prepared a place for her. In a nearby village, a Christian family welcomed Trang. Though strangers, they cared for her like their own, even building her a simple bamboo house.

Today, Trang continues to worship with other believers. Her heart is bruised, but not broken. “I’ve lost my home, but I’ve found peace and hope in Christ,” she says.

*Names changed for security reasons