UCA News
Contribute

Home / Multimedia

Church & Society

November 09, 2018

Vietnamese build lavish tombs for respecting ancestors

Catholics, Buddhists and followers of other faiths at Vinh An Commune of Thua Thien Hue Province in central Vietnam build lavish tombs of their ancestors as a way to show their gratitude and respect.

Impressive and large tombs are built with Western and Eastern architecture styles. Many are decorated with old Vietnamese characters, statues of saints, and spiritual symbols such as dragons, tortoises and unicorns. 

A tomb usually costs between 300 million to three billion dong (US$ 13,000-130,000).

The cemetery next to An Bang Church is dubbed "The City of Ghosts."

Relatives living in the United States sent funds to build the tombs to express their great gratitude to ancestors who brought them up and prayed for their safety.

After 1975, when the country was under communist rule, many people escaped from poverty and the repressive government by fleeing by boat. Known as "boat people", many died at sea in their bid for freedom. Many of those who made it now reside in the U.S.

Text and photos by ucanews.com reporter.

Support UCA News
Support UCA News
 
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia