Vietnamese Funeral Rituals

Vietnam’s approach to death is different than that of the Western world. Regardless of religion, Vietnamese believe in ancestor worship. These include grandparents as well as collective national ancestors like Ho Chi Minh or Tran Hung Dao.

Colorful incense, used at pagodas, temples, and family altars. Photo © Dana Filek-Gibson.

When a Vietnamese person passes away, it is believed that one’s life does not end but that the afterlife begins. The afterlife requires basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and money, all of which a family must provide for its deceased loved ones. In most homes, shops, and businesses, you’ll find a small altar where local residents put food, beverages, and occasionally cigarettes for the dead. These offerings are often accompanied by prayers and incense.

On holidays and certain Buddhist festivals, Vietnamese burn paper money and clothing for their ancestors to use in the afterlife. While it’s bad luck for the living to keep these items, you’ll likely spot stray hundred dollar bills on the sidewalk or in the streets. Though they’re flimsier than the actual currency, these paper notes are surprisingly accurate—until you turn them over to find the phrase “Bank of the Dead” instead of “In God We Trust.”

Beyond these ongoing rituals, Vietnamese funerals are a multi-day affair meant to usher a loved one into the afterlife. When a Vietnamese person dies, his or her family will mourn for several days, inviting friends and family as well as a religious leader to say goodbye. Mourners often wear white headbands. The funeral, held at home, usually includes a large tent set up in front of the building for guests to visit. An altar, complete with offerings and portrait of the deceased, is set up inside. At the end of the mourning period, the body is placed in a coffin and carried to its final resting place in a large, truck-like hearse, usually decorated with colorful symbols; some Vietnamese are cremated. This final procession begins before sunrise, sometimes as early as 4am or 5am, and often involves music. Don’t be surprised if you wake up in the wee hours of the morning to trumpets and crashing cymbals—this is simply someone on their way to the afterlife.

Once the funeral is complete, Vietnamese carry on providing the essentials for their ancestors through offerings. The day of a person’s death, rather than his or her birth, is remembered and celebrated as a holiday. This occasion, called dam gio, is a family event, in which members of that particular house come together and give offerings to their deceased relative, visit with family and friends, and often make trips to the local pagoda or church to commemorate the individual. Contrary to Western ideas of death, dam gio is not a somber occasion but rather a celebration of that individual and his or her life.

Dana Filek-Gibson

About the Author

Fresh out of Emerson College, Dana Filek-Gibson moved to Vietnam as an English teacher in 2010 and never left. Though she only intended to stay for a year, Vietnam’s phenomenal street food and breakneck pace had her hooked from the very beginning. Over the next few months, she learned to speak Vietnamese, drive a motorbike, and safely cross the street–no easy feat in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since landing a job with AsiaLIFE, a local magazine, Dana has written about Vietnamese culture and tourism as well as the daily adventures that come with being a redheaded expat. In 2012, she cycled from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Her wanderlust has taken her beyond Vietnam to other corners of Southeast Asia, as well as Europe, Latin America, and Africa. She is also an avid runner and hopes to one day complete a marathon in Southeast Asia.

Whether ringing in the lunar new year like a local or learning the finer details of how to judge a chicken beauty contest, she counts every day in Vietnam as a new adventure.

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