An Bang - The City of Billion VND Tombs
An Bằng – The City of Million-Dollar Tombs
Just 36 kilometers from the center of Hue lies a coastal village that doesn’t appear in most travel guides, yet continues to intrigue visitors from around the world. That village is An Bằng, located in Vinh An commune, Phu Vang district.
Once a peaceful fishing village, An Bằng is now known by haunting and poetic names: "The City of Ghosts" or "The City of Tombs." Here, hundreds of elaborate mausoleums—built from marble, inlaid with ceramics, featuring palace-like domes, dragon-shaped gates, and even lighting systems—stand tall under the sun and sea breeze like luxury villas for the departed.
As the Daily Mail once described:
“Welcome to the City of Ghosts, where the dead rest in luxury.”
A Paradoxical Contrast
In An Bằng, death is not the end, but an essential part of life and belief. People don’t wait until they pass to build their tombs. They prepare well in advance, carefully planning every detail. To them, it’s an expression of filial piety and a hope for eternal remembrance.
Perhaps the greatest fear here isn’t death—but being forgotten.
Uniquely, An Bằng has even developed an unusual profession: tomb caretaking. Locals are hired to clean, trim the grass, and light incense at graves regularly. As a result, unlike typical cemeteries that often feel gloomy and neglected, An Bằng is bright, well-kept, and oddly peaceful—like a miniature city whose residents have all passed on.
Although outsiders often criticize this lifestyle—"living modestly, dying extravagantly"—to the people of An Bằng, it’s not about vanity. It’s a philosophy of life—and death—shaped by deep cultural values, in their own quietly eccentric way.
