Inheritance dispute emerges after land prices rise

I am the youngest of eight siblings. When our parents were still healthy, one of my older brothers broached the subject of inheritance with them and mentioned that if their main property, a rice field measuring nearly one hectare (10,000 square meters), were divided equally, each share would be worth little as the entire plot was only valued at about VND3 billion (US$120,000).

My father then decided that, since all the children had their own homes, stable jobs, and were financially secure, he wanted to pass the property down to the person living on the plot, which at that time was the seventh brother. Everyone agreed with this decision. The second and seventh brothers both received land from my father, while I, the fourth brother and our four sisters did not receive anything.

Two years after that, a high-voltage power line project was erected on another plot of land that my parents owned and they were paid nearly VND2 billion in compensation. My father then chose to divide the money among us siblings. Since I was already financially stable, I did not take the compensation. My fourth brother also declined and passed his share to the sisters, so the most of the money was divided equally among the four sisters.

The value of the one-hectare plot inherited by my seventh brother later skyrocketed to nearly VND30 billion. This has led to dissatisfaction among my siblings. My fourth brother and several of my sisters constantly criticize our parents, claiming that they were treated unfairly. They even accuse me of encouraging our parents to draft a will. This discord has strained our family relationships, and I fear it may persist for the rest of their lives.

I believe that since we are still financially stable, my siblings should focus on improving their businesses rather than dwelling on inheritance. As children, we should not blame our parents for their decisions, as it is their right to make such choices.

How should I navigate this situation?

Reader Thanh Thang

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