The security situation in Dak Lak Province has “returned to normal” [1], and the lives of its residents have “gradually regained stability” [2] after an armed group opened fire on two commune headquarters in the area, claiming the lives of nine people, including several policemen and local officials on June 11, 2023. Or that is what the Vietnamese state media tries to depict right now.

In reality, the lives of religious Montagnards and religious activists in Dak Lak and the Central Highlands have never been at peace. For decades, spiritual practitioners in the region have been a prime target of the Vietnamese government’s restrictions and crackdowns on religious freedom. Vietnam’s ethnic minorities consider religion an indispensable element of their lives, like water and air.