Persecuted families helped in Vietnam

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Vietnamese authorities resettled four severely persecuted Christian families on new land not far from where their homes and farms had been destroyed almost a year and a half ago.  

In mid-February 2012, five families who had become Christians about a year earlier suffered nightly raids on their homes and fields by local people — animists who strongly opposed their conversion and tried to force them to recant Christianity. 

A solution was long promised by authorities, and finally a positive outcome came about. The families were resettled in the same district but in a different village. On June 11, they were accompanied back to their area by their hosts.  

The government offered each family land for fields and farming and land for a home and garden. Officials also promised government support for food and basic necessities for at least six months. This includes 15 kilograms of rice per person each month and resupplied dishes, cooking appliances, utensils and other items.