My brother presses our mother to sell her land, distribute inheritance

My mother has two daughters and one son, who is the youngest. My father passed away when we were still in elementary school, so my mother had to work hard to support us. My older sister and I started working right after graduation and gave all our earnings to her. However, my younger brother was never serious about studying or working. He spends all his income on himself and even asks my mother and sister for money when he runs short.

When he got married, my mother had to buy gold for his wedding, and my sister and I lent him money for the ceremony. Although my brother and his wife live only 70 kilometers away from my mother, my sister-in-law has only visited twice in the past decade, each time giving my mother a mere VND500,000 (US$20) as a gift.

My mother owns two plots of land: one measuring 60 square meters on a major road and one in an alley next to a large hospital. Due to their locations, they could be sold for at least VND10 billion. Recently, my brother has been using the excuse that I am struggling with a VND500 million debt from my failing business to convince my mother to sell some land to help me. I have firmly refused this offer, believing that I should repay my own debts rather than rely on my parents’ assets.

In reality, I suspect that he wants the land sold to secure a share of the proceeds as inheritance. He used me as an excuse to persuade my mother to sell her land so he could get money to buy a house in Ho Chi Minh City or invest in real estate. When I shared my suspicion with my mother, she said it did not matter to her, as she wanted her son to have a decent home. Therefore, she agreed to sell one of the plots and gave the proceeds to my brother and his wife to buy a house.

Since receiving the money, my brother and his wife have suddenly become "dutiful," frequently buying supplements for my mother and making surprise visits.

Nonetheless, I recently discovered that he is trying to convince my mother to sell the other plot as well to get more money for a bigger house. Hearing this, my sisters and I simply shook our heads and told our mother to do whatever she wanted with the property, as it was hers.

I understand this is a difficult decision for my mother, as older generations often favor sons over daughters. I believe this tradition has led to many family troubles and sibling disputes. If parents treated their children more fairly, perhaps conflicts over inheritance and situations like mine could be avoided.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Reader Thanh Trang

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