Conflict ensues over land inheritance after father excluded daughters, gave everything to sons

Inheritance division has always been a sensitive issue. In foreign countries, people have the habit of making a will before they pass away. However, most Vietnamese people rarely make a will before their death due to superstitions. This, unfortunately, has been the source of many family conflicts, sibling disputes, and even cases of murder over inheritance distribution.

Even when a will is made, complications can still arise, as demonstrated by my family’s case. My grandfather passed away in 2006. Two years prior, he called a family meeting with my father and two uncles to draw up a will for the future distribution of his land.

According to the will, the family’s 2,400-square-meter land plot was to be divided into four equal parts. One part would be used to build a house for hosting the ancestral altar, while the remaining three would be equally distributed among the sons. The document was prepared and signed by everyone except my grandfather, who was too weak to sign. However, no one from the local authority was present at the meeting to provide legal validation.

After my grandfather’s death, my father suggested moving my grandmother to the city so he could take care of her, but my eldest uncle disagreed. He demanded that my father move back to their hometown permanently. Since my father had a job in the city and could not move back, he had to take four months off work each year to return to his hometown to care for her, as dictated by my eldest uncle.

In 2015, my grandmother passed away. My three aunts, all of whom were married and living in big cities, returned and demanded that the land be divided into six equal parts, one for each person regardless of gender. They expressed their intention to sell their portions since they had no use for the land. They argued that my grandfather’s will was not valid because it lacked his signature and the local authority’s seal.

To this day, the inheritance issue in my family remains an unresolved mess, preventing my father and uncles from obtaining the title deed for the land. I guess it is true that "as land prices go up, human decency goes down." I feel sad witnessing my aunts and uncles quarrel over the land left by their parents.

How do you think my family should resolve this dispute?

Reader Moc Nhai Hoa

*This opinion was translated into English by AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.