Sleeping Police Captain Unknowingly Shields Crate of Bibles Through Every Communist Checkpoint in Vietnam
A police captain fell asleep on a crate of Bibles on a Vietnamese bus, unknowingly shielding them through every communist checkpoint.
How a Vietnamese Police Captain Unknowingly Protected a Crate of Bibles on a Bus Through Communist Checkpoints
In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a Christian man boarded a crowded bus carrying a crate filled with Bibles destined for tribal believers in remote highland villages. The journey would take 12 hours and pass through multiple police checkpoints where religious materials are routinely confiscated.
Before departure, the man prayed for protection and courage, knowing that being caught with unauthorized Bibles in communist Vietnam could mean arrest, imprisonment, or worse.
What happened next has been described as nothing short of miraculous. A uniformed police captain boarded the same bus and sat directly beside the Christian courier. The officer placed his official cap on top of the crate of Bibles and fell into a deep sleep.
As the bus rolled through checkpoint after checkpoint, inspecting officers saw the uniformed captain and his cap resting on the package. Not a single officer disturbed the sleeping lawman or questioned the contents beneath his cap. The Bibles passed through every checkpoint completely untouched.
The perception of open availability is misleading.
Vietnam's communist government maintains strict controls on Bible distribution. While Christians may technically own Bibles, printing in minority languages remains prohibited, and distribution permits are expensive and rarely granted.
An estimated one million Bibles are still needed across Vietnam today. Approximately 850,000 believers remain on waiting lists for a copy of God's Word in their own language. Organizations like Vision Beyond Borders have distributed over 5.5 million Bibles across communist and restricted nations over the past four decades, with workers risking prison and death to deliver Scripture to those who hunger for it.
God's Miraculous Protection of Bible Smugglers in Communist Vietnam Leaves the World Speechless
Todd Nettleton, who shared this account, noted that this story is not an isolated incident. Similar accounts of divine provision have been reported across communist and restricted nations, from donkeys carrying Scripture across borders to customs officials overlooking suitcases filled with religious materials.
Patrick Klein, a 63 year old evangelist from Casper, Wyoming, has been kicked out of China twice and banned for Bible smuggling. His organization, Vision Beyond Borders, a $2.5 million nonprofit established in 1994, continues to operate in Pakistan, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea, and Iran, where Christianity is actively suppressed. Klein has faced rocket fire and bullets in Kabul, Afghanistan, and is now on his eighth passport.
The Crusader's Opinion
God does not need our permission to move. He used a sleeping police captain to shield His Word from the very government trying to suppress it. That is the kind of God we serve. Vietnam's communist regime has spent decades trying to stamp out Christianity, and yet the Church grows. Every checkpoint they erect, God turns into a highway. Every officer they deploy, He conscripts into His service. One million Bibles are still needed. 850,000 believers are waiting. The question is not whether God will provide. He already has, one sleeping captain at a time. The question is whether we will be the hands that carry the crate.
Take Action
- Donate to The Shepherd's Shield to support persecuted Christians and Bible distribution worldwide.
- Support Vision Beyond Borders, which has smuggled over 5.5 million Bibles into restricted nations including Vietnam, North Korea, and Iran.
- Give to Open Doors USA to fund Bible translation and distribution in the 50 most dangerous countries for Christians.
- Support Voice of the Martyrs in their mission to provide Bibles and resources to the persecuted Church in communist nations.
- Pray daily for the 850,000 Vietnamese believers still waiting for a Bible in their own language. Share this story with your church and small group to raise awareness.
