Among pastors in Vietnam, Ha Wan holds near-legendary status for his courage and perseverance. Evangelists and Bible teachers in distant provinces know his name and still use his methods to reach their communities with the gospel.
But to his wife, Hien, he was simply a patient, hard-working, loving husband and co-worker who humbly proclaimed the Good News of Christ. Reflecting recently on their marriage, she chuckled while recalling their unorthodox courtship.
When Ha Wan arrived in Hien’s district as a young evangelist in 1973, authorities soon took notice of his ministry work and arrested him — the first of many arrests in nearly half a century of serving the Lord. Though still a teenager, Hien disguised herself in Viet Cong (communist guerrilla) clothing and sneaked into the local prison to set him free. The jailbreak began a partnership in marriage and ministry that lasted the rest of their lives.
Hien’s father, the first known believer in his people group as well as the first pastor in his village, had raised her and all her siblings in the Christian faith. She knew from an early age that following Christ as a tribal person in Vietnam was a difficult path. In the years immediately following the war with the United States, the communist government suppressed Christianity throughout the country. They reserved their harshest treatment for tribal groups, many of which had supported US forces and were seen as disloyal to the communist cause.
In the early years of their marriage, after the Vietnam War and takeover by the communists, any kind of Christian worship or outreach was extremely difficult. But Hien and Ha Wan found a way to gather children for Bible lessons, eventually teaching classes of up to 30 children.
Ha Wan was arrested repeatedly, sometimes for just a few days but other times for much longer periods. He was imprisoned for nearly three years on two separate occasions and, in total, spent more than 11 years behind bars for proclaiming the gospel among Vietnam’s tribal groups.
During each of her husband’s imprisonments, whether days or years, Hien found ways to care for their family while continuing to teach Bible classes to the local children. When food was scarce or when she didn’t have enough money to visit Ha Wan in prison, she trusted God to meet her needs. His provision sometimes came through the children she faithfully taught.
“Although the children were small,” Hien said, “they knew how to give.” She recalled one time when she needed 30,000 dong (about $7 at that time) to buy food for Ha Wan in prison, and it seemed an impossible amount. “I could only kneel down, cry out to God and ask for help from Him,” she said. “God answered my prayer through the kids.” The 30 children gathered up just what she needed and gave it to her.
That class of children grew to become the largest church in the province, with more than 600 children now in regular attendance. Ha Wan’s influence reached further still. Besides cheerfully sharing the gospel with fellow inmates while in prison, he and other Christian leaders developed a vision for taking the gospel to other tribal groups, training and discipling them to endure persecution and make even more disciples.
Their model of ministry has had a significant effect throughout Vietnam. In their two-year training programme, students are required to share the gospel with 100 people before advancing to the second year. This hands-on fieldwork ensures that they are able to apply what they have learned about evangelism in their first year of study. After graduation, most students assume roles as leaders and teachers in their churches. The classes are now taught all over the country, and they are transforming churches and communities.
“God used my husband in a very special way,” Hien said. “Although he faced many challenges in his time serving God, he didn’t give up and he didn’t become discouraged. He served God until his last breath.”
Ha Wan died on 5 June 2021, after suffering increasingly difficult health problems and a protracted final illness. When his health began to fail and he required hospital care, he ministered to other patients in the hospital. His son, Emmanuel, recalled that his father once persuaded the doctors to let him leave the hospital to lead a worship service. After mustering the strength to preach that day, he returned to the hospital to continue treatment.
His passion for telling others about the love of Christ never waned, even as he approached death. One day after being resuscitated from cardiac arrest, he turned to his hospital roommate and recited John 3:16. “If you believe in Jesus today,” he told the man, “He will save you.”
Ha Wan’s perseverance in the faith through years of imprisonment and privation under an oppressive communist government has left a lasting legacy. His son, Emmanuel, now serves the church that grew out of the children’s Bible classes, and Emmanuel often visits other villages to share the gospel among tribes that practise ancestor worship.
“He left for us a good name,” Emmanuel said of his father. “He did not give us a lot of money or property, but he gave us a good name and good reputation. Whenever we go from place to place, people know him, appreciate him, respect him and love him very much. He has been a good example to follow.”
Hien continues to teach children and train others in children’s ministry, which remains close to her heart. Her three daughters are also members of the church, and she enjoys spending time in prayer with other women.
“I am with you always,” Hien quoted from Matthew 28:20. “That is [God’s] promise that I hold onto. In our greatest difficulty, He is still there with us. In our flesh we feel weak, but God never changes.”
VOM has been in fellowship with Ha Wan’s family since 1996.
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