Ba Vang Pagoda
During the ceremony, the spirits are summoned and participants find out if they committed any sins in their previous lives. Participants were told that if they want to avoid calamity and have their sins forgiven, they would have to pay tens of millions of VND to find forgiveness from the spirits.
It is reported that hundreds of billions of VND have been donated to the pagoda every year.
Authorities in Quang Ninh Province have asked Uong Bi City to investigate the case and report back by March 25.
Nguyen Thai Binh, the representative of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said they had asked the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to explain what has been going on. The ministry's inspectorate will work with the Department of Cultural Heritage to work with the related agencies in Quang Ninh to investigate the case and propose a solution.
The Government Committee for Religious Affairs has also asked the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam to investigate the ceremony and deal with violators.
According to Nguyen Danh Hue from Hanoi Bar Association, there are signs that this is a fraud and infringes on regulations around superstitions and religious practice. Violators can be jailed up to 20 years for scamming and 10 years for spreading superstition.
Lawyer Quach Thanh Luc said, "The ceremony is spreading ideas that do not follow Buddhist teachings."
