ASIA/VIETNAM - The pineapples of Dien Bien Parish, the mountain poor and the charity of Christ

by Andrew Doan Thanh Phong

"This gift is not only young sweet pineapple plants, but also the love and care of the parish for the people. We hope that these young trees will take roots and grow strongly in the land of Tin Lan and Huoi Hua villages, bearing sweet fruits and helping people improve their lives and overcome current difficulties".
Emphasized by parish priest Joseph Tran Quy Tuan during the ceremony of donating 10,000 sweet pineapple plants to support the hill tribe people in the highlands of Huoi Hua and Tin Lan villages, Nua Ngam commune, Dien Bien province.

This practical activity is part of the regular charity program of Dien Bien Parish, aiming to help the poor people in the highlands. The Parish has chosen the way of giving them a "fishing rods" instead of just giving them money or necessities; that is a means for the farmers to produce and enrich themselves legitimately.

The ethnic groups of Lao, Thai, H'Mong, Khmu and Kinh live mainly in this remote mountainous area with complex terrains, mainly steep and rugged hills where life is extremely difficult, and they rely mainly on traditional agriculture with backward techniques of farming and unstable income. Hopefully, these pineapple trees will help develop their economy and stabilize their lives.

The pineapples of Muong Nha stand out for being well resistant to drought, without regularly watering (in the mountains, the water source for cultivation is not as easy as in the plains), and requires little fertilizer, making the cultivation simple and more saving. The time for bearing fruits is quite fast, only after 18 to 24 months of planting, and especially can be harvested continuously for four consecutive years. Muong Nha pineapple bears round and large fruits with thin skin, and their taste seems rather sweet and less sour, and it also has specific and nice aroma, so it has high economic value. Each pineapple fruit weighs averagely 2-3kg, some reach a weight of 3-4kg, this results in a sustainable and long-term source of income for the local farmers.

Previously, on the occasion of the new school year, 80 scholarships from An Binh charity were also awarded by the priest and the representatives of Dien Bien parish to the poor students of primary and secondary schools on September 17 - 18, 2025 in the two mountainous communes of Nua Ngam and Xa Dung in Dien Bien province. This is not only an act of supporting education but also spreading the spirit of charity to places with many shortages.
Sharing at the scholarship awarding ceremony, Parish Priest Joseph Tran Quy Tuan said: “This scholarship is not only material help, but also God's love sent to you. I hope that you will try your best to study well, and will become good students, so that you can help your family in the future, and contribute to your homeland. You should always be grateful for the love that everyone has given to you”. On behalf of the students, Mua Thi Xinh, a H'Mong ethnic girl, expressed: "The gifts that the Association gave us not only help us have more useful learning tools and necessary necessities, but are also a great source of encouragement for studying harder. We promise to try our best to study well, be good and obedient to our teachers, love and help everyone, so as not to disappoint the teachers' good will".

Dien Bien Parish covers a large mountainous area of Dien Bien Phu city, Muong Lay town and Dien Bien districts, but with only 962 parishioners scattering in remote and rugged geography in Dien Bien province of the Northwest of Vietnam. It is a young parish established in 2016 under the Hung Hoa diocese, but very far away, nearly 500km from the Hung Hoa bishop's House. There are more than 90% of farmers against the population in the province, among them there are many poor households, an estimated rate of 38.25% of poor family, the highest number in the Country.
Bishop Dominic Hoang Minh Tien - Bishop of Hung Hoa Diocese said on his last pastoral visit to Dien Bien parish: “I am very emotional when witnessing the difficult and poor-quality lives of ethnic minorities here, even in some places there are still no roads, no electricity, ... But God is always present in their daily lives and inside the chapel, and in the village”. The Bishop always praised the Catholic community for overcoming all difficulties to maintain and live the Catholic Faith in the remote border areas. At the same time, he also encouraged the people to continue to live a good spiritual life and spread the Gospel of God to the ethnic groups and everyone around. (Agenzia Fides, 25/9/2025)

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