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War ghosts continue to haunt Vietnam, a lingering specter of past conflicts.

Remains of over a hundred thousand Vietnamese soldiers, missing for half a century following the war's conclusion, continue to lie unclaimed. In Hanoi, an institute specializing in spiritual mediums endeavors to locate the remains of the North's 'martyrs,' but the communist government shows...

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War ghosts continue to haunt Vietnam, a lingering specter of past conflicts.

In the lively heart of Hanoi, Vietnam, perched atop a modest apartment building, two rooms adorned with flower and fruit-laden altars offer a sanctuary for quiet, spirit-related rituals. This hidden gem is the office of the Union for Informatics Application (UIA), a unique organization dedicated to assessing the authenticity of individuals claiming special abilities to converse with spirits. According to its founder, the diminutive, white-haired Vu The Khanh, the work requires care; if left unchecked, people could exploit the practice, causing harm to society.

These individuals are locally known as "specialists in extrasensory perception," a term coined in Vietnamese, as revealed by French anthropologist Paul Sorrentino in his book Trial by Possession: A Chronicle of Ritual Innovation in Contemporary Vietnam (Society of Ethnology, 2018).

Stepping into the UIA office reveals a space filled with books and ritual altars. The organization serves as a gatekeeper, ensuring that only genuine mediums communicate with spirits, thus preventing exploitation. The UIA's role reflects a broader societal effort to regulate spirit communication practices, which have gained traction amid Vietnam’s modernization while remaining deeply rooted in cultural traditions.

Anthropologist Paul Sorrentino sheds light on these practices, depicting them as a ritual innovation in contemporary Vietnamese society. Mediums, often dealing with unresolved traumas from the Vietnam War, function at the intersection of tradition and modernity [1]. The UIA’s evaluations likely aim to authenticate these practitioners while combating fraudulent or commercialized spiritual practices; however, specific assessment criteria remain unclear [1].

This cultural landscape illustrates a tension faced by Vietnam as it weathers significant socioeconomic changes. Institutions like the UIA strive to balance emerging spiritual needs with the risks associated with unregulated mystical practices.

  1. The Union for Informatics Application (UIA) operates in a space filled with books and altars, serving as a gatekeeper for genuine mediums, ensuring authentic spirit communication, a significant aspect of the 'ritual innovation' in contemporary Vietnamese society as depicted by anthropologist Paul Sorrentino.
  2. In the heart of Hanoi, specialists in extrasensory perception, locally known in Vietnamese neologism, perform their practices under the scrutiny of the UIA, an organization established to prevent exploitation of individuals claiming special abilities to converse with spirits.
  3. Mediums, often dealing with unresolved traumas from the Vietnam War, function at the intersection of tradition and modernity in Vietnam, with the UIA's evaluations aiming to authenticate these practitioners while combating fraudulent or commercialized spiritual practices, despite specific assessment criteria remaining unclear.
  4. Balancing emerging spiritual needs with the risks associated with unregulated mystical practices, the UIA, operating within the health-and-wellness and mental-health sectors, illustrates the tension faced by Vietnam as it navigates significant socioeconomic changes.
Remains of tens of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers, from both North and South, remain unburied half a century after the war's end. In Hanoi, an institute undertakes the task of locating the remains of the North's 'martyrs' with mediums, whereas the communist regime pays little attention to identifying those from the South, considering them as adversaries.
After half a century post-conflict, the carcasses of numerous Vietnamese soldiers from both sides lie unattended. An establishment in Hanoi focuses on locating the remains of Northern soldiers, employing mediums for assistance, while the identification of Southern soldiers, still viewed as adversaries by the communist regime, takes a backseat.
Unclaimed Remains: Half a Century Later, Corpses of Over 200k Vietnamese Soldiers Rest Unburied. In Hanoi, an Institute Employs Psychics to Locate the Remains of Northern Heroes.economic and political disregard for Identifying Southern Comrades, still viewed as Enemies by the Communist Regime.

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