A man who said he was able to pray for rain in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern provinces has apologized for providing incorrect information.

He had claimed that four days after his prayers, it would rain in Ho Chi Minh City.

The temperature in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday ranges from 25 to 38 degrees Celsius, with a heat index peaking at around 40 degrees Celsius, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

Many have thus been longing for rain these days.

The man in question, Le Minh Hoang, a resident in My Duc District, Hanoi, was introduced to the Ho Chi Minh City irrigation agency by Dr. Nguyen Hoang Diep, director of the Center for Translation, Cultural Services and Science – Technology, visiting lecturer of three universities and former head of the Institute for Research and Application of Human Potentialities.

Diep said that Hoang could pray for rain in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern region as a whole, emphasizing that Hoang’s ability has not been proven.

In the introduction, Diep expressed sadness over witnessing the prolonged drought and crop losses in Vietnam's southern region.

A document on the introduction made headlines on social media. 

On Sunday, Hoang told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he expected to get the city’s approval so that he could pray for rain.

He claimed to have amassed 20 years of experience in independently studying climate change, meteorology, and hydrology, adding that he used to pray for rain in Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands, Ben Tre Province in the south, and some other provinces.

He affirmed that he just needed to pray and it would rain four days later. The more sincere local residents are, the heavier the rain would be, Hoang noted.

“I cannot come to cities and provinces myself and tell them that I can pray for rain. As a result, I asked Dr. Diep to introduce me to various localities,” Hoang added.

Hoang also showed Tuoi Tre a document with a seal of the agricultural cooperative in My Thanh Commune, My Duc District, Hanoi, and the signature of the cooperative director Dinh Quang Thanh.

The document stated that Hoang has a special ability to cushion natural disasters for the agriculture sector.

As per the document, when Hoang witnessed rice crops falling in My Thanh Commune in August 2023 due to strong winds, he offered prayers to alleviate the losses suffered by local farmers.

The document indicated that losses during the crop season plummeted by 80 percent compared to the 2021-22 crop season.

After the administrations of Bot Xuyen and My Thanh Communes worked with Hoang, he made an apology for saying that rice in My Duc District fell less amid winds thanks to his prayers.

Hoang admitted his faults and suggested withdrawing all documents he had submitted, a leader of the My Duc administration told Tuoi Tre on Monday.

The documents include a certificate of Hoang’s ability to help reduce rice fall in My Thanh Commune.

Local authorities confirmed that the certificate was signed by director of the cooperative Dinh Quang Thanh.

The My Thanh administration later asked Thanh to review his violation as he had certified a superstitious matter.

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