TL;DR: The practice of bốc mộ, also called cải táng or sang cát, is the exhumation of remains for reburial. According to Phan Kế Bính's account in Việt Nam phong tục, it is usually carried out after the three-year mourning period ends, or a few years beyond that. The custom sets no mandatory time frame; current sanitation regulations of the Ministry of Health require no less than 36 months between burial and reburial.
What is exhumation and reburial, and why does this custom exist?
Exhumation and reburial, also called cải táng (secondary burial), sang cát, or moving the grave, is a rite in which a previously buried grave is opened to collect the remains, clean them, and rebury them in a new place or within the same cemetery. It is a rite of the Vietnamese life cycle, belonging to the group of funeral rites and ancestor worship.
According to Phan Kế Bính in Việt Nam phong tục, the custom of cải táng has several causes[2]. He lists five; the first four are: first, a poor family could not afford a proper coffin when a parent died and had to buy a cheap one, waiting three years before reburial for fear that the rotting coffin would damage the remains; second, the burial site was bored by termites and ants or flooded; third, the grave stood in the way of a road or a newly opened urban area, forcing reburial; fourth, families who believed in geomancy would attribute bad land to any sudden sinking of the grave, trees on the grave withering, or illness, quarrels, and lawsuits in the household, and would rebury.
Also according to Phan Kế Bính, the custom stems from the belief in a link between ancestral remains and descendants: only when ancestral remains are at peace are descendants at peace, and when the remains are not at peace, descendants are not either.
After how many years is exhumation and reburial done?
The most commonly recorded period is after the end of mourning, that is after three years, or a few more years. Phan Kế Bính writes that after three years of mourning, or a few more years, children attend to the reburial of the deceased.
Đỗ Lan Hiền, in a research article on Vietnamese funerals published in Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Tôn giáo in 2013, also records that this custom was mostly carried out among the poor: because of poverty, when parents died, children could not afford proper arrangements and had to buy a cheap wooden coffin, waiting three to five years before reburial, worried that the rotting boards would collapse and damage the remains[1].
As for current rules, Circular 21/2021/TT-BYT of Vietnam's Ministry of Health (Article 9) states that the timing of reburial may vary with soil conditions and with the customs and beliefs of each ethnic group and locality, but the time from burial to reburial must not be less than 36 months[3].
Must the grave always be exhumed?
No. Phan Kế Bính states clearly that although some people follow the custom of cải táng, many others who have prepared a proper coffin and burial at the time of hung táng (temporary burial) do not need reburial. Many people, trusting too much in geomancy, invite a geomancer to stay in their home for two or three months to find land; some families, seeing unrest in the household, rebury again, sometimes as many as five or six times, he adds. In his view, if descendants keep respect and compassion for their ancestors, they should not move the remains many times, and should do so only when truly unavoidable.
According to Đỗ Lan Hiền, the custom of cải táng in the past was never a mandatory rite, and even less did it play a decisive or governing role over the fate of the living[1].
Where is cải táng most common?
According to Đỗ Lan Hiền, burial followed by exhumation after three to five years is a custom of the Việt found mainly in the Northern Delta, and it is still kept today[1]. Phan Kế Bính likewise notes that some people follow the custom, while many who prepared a sound coffin at the first burial do not rebury at all[2].
What are specific cases and how are they handled?
When the grave is attacked by termites or flooded
This is the second cause Phan Kế Bính lists: where the ground has termites and ants or is flooded, the grave has to be moved[2]. He does not say after how long. Today hygiene rules set a minimum of 36 months from burial[3], so when a grave is damaged before that time the family should ask the local authorities and the cemetery management.
When digging reveals signs considered auspicious
Three signs are regarded as auspicious at reburial, according to Phan Kế Bính's records: if encountered, the grave must be refilled immediately. First, digging and finding a golden snake, considered a dragon-serpent spirit object; second, opening the coffin and finding dodder vines (dây tơ hồng) twined around it, considered a sign that the ground has gathered energy (đất kết); third, the earth there being warm, the grave dry without standing water, or water collecting in milk-like drops, all regarded as good omens.
When the family experiences unrest
The fourth cause Phan Kế Bính lists: families who believe in geomancy, upon seeing a household member go mad or lose their mind, or people falling ill and quarrelling, or a disobedient member causing lawsuits and trouble, attribute it to the land and rebury. This is a folk-belief explanation, not a medical or scientific conclusion.
When seeking fame and wealth
The fifth cause Phan Kế Bính lists: those who seek fame and wealth ask a geomancer to find auspicious land for reburial, or, seeing another family prosper, bury their own ancestors' remains near that family's graves to seek a share of the good fortune. This is a phenomenon recorded in practice, but there is no scientific basis to confirm its effectiveness.
What are religious and scholarly views on cải táng?
Buddhist view
According to the Buddhist view cited by Đỗ Lan Hiền, a person consists of two parts, Body and Mind. At death, the nervous system stops functioning, and consciousness has left the body. Therefore, whether cremation or burial, neither affects the body or soul of the deceased, because the four elements ultimately dissolve.
Scholar's view
Đỗ Lan Hiền observes that the custom of cải táng in the past was not a mandatory rite and even less did it have a decisive or governing meaning for the fate of the living. According to the author, current trends in caring for the dead are reviving many costly practices, including the movement to buy land in areas considered dragon lairs for reburial, stirring public discussion.
What are the steps of cải táng as recorded by Phan Kế Bính?
The traditional sequence of reburial as recorded by Phan Kế Bính is as follows: before the day of reburial, the family performs a ceremony at the ancestral hall. On the burial day, a ceremony is held to address the Thổ công (Earth God) at the new burial site. First the grave is opened, the bones are collected and placed in an earthen jar, water is sprinkled on them, and the jar is sealed tightly so that no sunlight enters. Wealthy families use a coffin and shroud as at the original burial. Then the remains are reburied in another place. If the old coffin has rotted, it is discarded; if still usable, it is taken home and may be reused as a bridge or as a buffalo or horse stable.
According to Phan Kế Bính, before hung táng people built a square mound, and at reburial they built a round one. Wealthy families built tombs; commoners erected grave markers, waiting for festival occasions to visit.
What to keep in mind when deciding to exhume?
First, clarify the reason for reburial. If it is only because of belief in geomancy without any sign of actual damage, reburial may be unnecessary and costly. In Phan Kế Bính's words, if one truly respects and pities the ancestors' remains, one should not move them back and forth, and should do so only when absolutely unavoidable.
Second, consult family and clan. The custom of cải táng is usually tied to the conventions of each clan, so the decision is not a matter for one individual alone.
Third, consider practical conditions. Đỗ Lan Hiền notes that the movement to buy land for reburial in areas considered dragon lairs has stirred public discussion and contributed to expanding cemetery land, encroaching even on farmland.
Fourth, keep the right mindset. Caring for graves is an expression of filial piety, but it should not become a burden or a chase after unfounded beliefs.
In summary, what are the main points about bốc mộ cải táng?
Exhumation and reburial is a long-standing custom in Vietnamese culture, tied to filial piety and ancestor worship. The common timing is after the three-year mourning period, or a few years later, custom sets no fixed date, while current hygiene rules require at least 36 months. Researchers such as Đỗ Lan Hiền emphasize that the custom in the past mostly arose from economic conditions and the state of the grave, not as a rite determining the fate of the living. Today, reburial should be considered based on the actual condition of the grave, family circumstances, and clan customs, avoiding the pursuit of unfounded beliefs.
