In the thoughts of Hoa Hao Buddhists , To Dinh Phat Giao Hoa Hao or An Hoa Tu pagoda has been a sacred place for people, especially Hoa Hao Buddhists nationwide that they often go to for different purposes: expressing their respect to the Prophet Huynh, the founder of Hoa Hao Buddism ; praying for their families'happiness and prosperity ect. However ,Everything has changed greatly these days. The sad fact is that An Hoa Tu pagoda has no longer been such a safe place for Buddhists, but a "good" place for robbers to commit crime.

      An Hoa Tu pagoda used to be the place Hoa Hao buddhists could go to for their belief whenever they wanted to show their respect to the God or pray for a better life, but a lot of dishonest people consider it a "convenient" place to rob the jewelries from the people who visit the temple. Surprisingly, the robbers act in front of many of the guardians of the temple, and these guardians do nothing but blame the victims for their carelessness. Two days ago, I took my wife and son to the pagoda for praying. What made me surprised and unforgettable is that when my wife had just entered the main gate of the temple, a group of robbers grabbed the necklace she was wearing. More surprisingly, the incident happened close to the guardians, but they ignored it intentionally. After that, I went to another group of guardians to report the incident. But what I got from them was an indifferent reply. One of them said that it was their duty that was to protect the temple , not the people who visit it. and I asked if there was any help from the authorities in guaranteeing the safety of the buddhists, but they said "no" without hesitation.

     From then on, an unanswered question has beared in my mind : " Who is responsible for  the safety of the temple visitors when they are attacked and Who can change the unstable place into a better one in the future ?" Please spare a minute to think about the pagodas in the neibouring countries such as Singapore, Thailand where there is no need to have many guardians protect the pagodas. I hope that the writing will be a "useful" warning for visitors to the temple and I also wish for a better temple in the future.