My uncle and aunt sue my dad, demanding a share of his land inheritance

My paternal grandparents had four children, with my father being the eldest son, followed by my uncle and two aunts.

For over a decade after my grandparents passed away, my uncle and two aunts would bring offerings and contribute funds whenever my parents organized their death anniversary.

The yearly event was always held generously and thoughtfully because my parents saw it as an opportunity for the extended family to gather. Anniversaries were always joyful, with no conflicts between siblings and relatives.

However, in recent years, the event has become a conflict-ridden occasion, and the family no longer gathers as before.

Only my parents and my youngest aunt gather to hold the ceremony, while my uncle and older aunt decide to hold their own separate anniversary. This is against tradition as only the eldest son should hold such ceremonies.

The cause of this division is simple: the land my grandparents passed down. The plot my family was given is located in an urban planning zone and its value has surged to several billion dong if sold.

Although my uncle also received his own land plot, he demanded my father split his share. My older aunt encouraged this and also wanted a cut. My father is not greedy, so he happily agreed to give a portion of his inheritance to my uncle, but he insisted on getting half of it.

The conflict escalated when my father refused, explaining that it was unreasonable since my uncle already had his share. As a result, my uncle and aunt filed a lawsuit.

The dispute has continued for years and the court has yet to resolve the matter due to various complications. Meanwhile, my parents have cut ties with the duo.

I believe it is not just my parents and other relatives who are saddened by this emotional rift, and perhaps even the spirits of my grandparents are upset.

Every time I return to my hometown to attend my grandparents' death anniversary, my heart feels heavy with sadness and I long for the reunion and joy we used to have.

The same kind of emotional rifts and family conflicts are happening in many other families in my village. The division of property and money has caused many similar disputes recently.

When I talked about this with my mother, she said in many other villages, especially those undergoing urbanization, conflicts over land and inheritance distribution are also destroying familial ties.

My mother also shared that on her side of the family, her two uncles no longer speak to each other because of land disputes and hold separate anniversaries for their parents.

As a daughter who was married off, my mother has to help the eldest uncle when it comes to traditional ceremonies though she did not want to take sides.

I am sharing a few stories here to show the immense power that land and money hold, and how it is eroding the value of family bonds in a way that is both sad and concerning.

People are meant to love one another, especially siblings. How can one bear to tear apart such relationships for assets they cannot take with them when they die?

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