Hue family spends VND 15 billion on elaborate family tombs

For years, Le La, 81, has visited a cemetery near his home in An Bang Village, Phu Vinh Commune, Hue City, almost every day to oversee the restoration of his parents' tomb and the construction of new tombs for his children.

La said his family has built 15 tombs over the past 30 years for deceased relatives as well as family members who are still alive. Each structure has cost around VND 1 billion (about USD 38,000) on average.

In 2020, using money sent home by his children living overseas, he spent VND 1.7 billion (about USD 66,000) to build the tomb where he and his wife expect to be buried in the future.

The family is now investing another substantial sum to renovate his parents' tomb, which was built three decades ago. Decorative ceramic and porcelain pieces are being added to create intricate reliefs and ornamental patterns.

His children, who live and work abroad, have also sent money home to finance the construction of their own spacious tombs beside their father's.

La said that in the past, when the village was much poorer, relatives were buried in simple graves. That changed after 1979, when many residents of the coastal community emigrated to countries including the United States, Canada and Australia in search of work.

Once they had established themselves overseas, many began sending money home to rebuild the tombs of parents and grandparents as an expression of filial respect. Families increasingly competed to construct larger and more elaborate tombs, many decorated with ornate ceramic mosaics reminiscent of royal burial sites.

"Many residents of An Bang even build their own tombs while they are still alive," La said.

His family is far from unique.

One of the best-known examples is Ho Van Thiet, 87, and his wife Van Thi Thuan, 86, who commissioned a grand tomb for themselves despite being in good health.

Located along one of the main roads in An Bang Cemetery, the couple's tomb stands out for its imposing scale.

Speaking in 2024, Thiet said construction began in 2021. The project took three years to complete, with 10 skilled craftsmen using more than 19 tonnes of ceramics and porcelain to create decorative mosaics. The entire project was funded by the couple's nine children living overseas and cost around VND 3 billion (about USD 114,000).

'City of tombs'

Construction continues across An Bang Cemetery, where numerous teams of builders are working on new tombs commissioned by local families.

One contractor said projects typically cost between VND 600 million (about USD 23,000) and VND 1 billion (about USD 38,000), while some larger tombs require VND 2-3 billion (about USD 76,000-114,000) to complete.

Construction usually takes between six months and one year, although more elaborate projects can take longer because of the extensive ceramic mosaic work.

An Bang Cemetery has become one of Vietnam's most unusual attractions, earning the nickname the "City of Tombs" and attracting coverage in both domestic and international media.

Its thousands of closely packed tombs display a wide variety of architectural styles and colours, with no uniform design. The cemetery has also become a popular destination for curious visitors.

Pham Phung, vice chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Vinh Commune, said the cemetery covers around 60 hectares and contains more than 5,000 tombs, most of them large in scale.

He said the practice of building expansive family tombs stems from historical land ownership, as many families constructed burial sites on land they had previously farmed.

Local authorities have since designated a new public cemetery and are encouraging residents to avoid expanding existing tombs, adopt more environmentally sustainable funeral practices and consider cremation for future burials.