In-laws clash with me over inheritance of my late wife's assets

I believe that Vietnamese people should develop the habit of writing wills while they are still relatively young. I recently found myself in a situation where both my wife and my mother-in-law passed away without leaving a will, resulting in a great deal of turmoil within their family regarding inheritance. After numerous unsuccessful negotiations with my wife’s siblings, I became so frustrated that I considered refusing my share of the inheritance. However, doing so would also require navigating multiple legal procedures.

According to the law, I am entitled to 50% of my wife’s assets, with the remaining portion to be divided between her parents. However, before I could do that, her mother also passed away. A series of conflicts followed when my wife’s siblings filed lawsuits demanding a share of the inheritance. They wanted a portion of my wife’s properties that should have gone to their mother.

I do not wish to take everything for myself, but dividing the assets is a complicated process. It requires a lot of time, effort, and documentation to establish ownership. I have yet to finish appraising all of our assets, including investments, company shares, loans to friends, debts, and stock trading accounts. Just as I was beginning to address these matters, my mother-in-law fell ill and passed away, further complicating matters.

A major part of the issue is my in-laws’ greed, which has prompted them to constantly pressure me to expedite the process. If everyone had remained patient and allowed the assets to be appraised and divided according to the law, I would not feel so overwhelmed. The value of my house has recently risen to VND 2.2 billion (US$88,000) during the appraisal process, adding to the challenges. Whether the house is appraised for inheritance or sale, it requires all necessary procedures to be completed. It is not as simple as just handing them the money upon demand.

I wanted to keep the house so that my children would have a place to live, as my parents-in-law were only supposed to own 20% of the property. However, I have had no luck negotiating this with my wife's siblings as they kept pushing and threatening to sue me for their shares. If they do file a lawsuit, the court would likely auction the property to divide the proceeds according to the law.

Not only has the matter not been resolved since, but it has seemingly become more stressful, leaving me utterly discouraged.

I told myself that once the inheritance dispute is settled, I would sever all ties with them as I have no desire to maintain any relationship. This is a costly lesson that I will never forget. I am determined that after this, I will write a will so that my children will not have to deal with the same troubles that I am facing now.

How could people who were once family treat each other so badly?

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