TL;DR: Funerals in Hue are described as involving many elaborate rites, with great importance placed on choosing the day and hour for encoffining and burial, so many families keep the coffin for 5 to 7 days; the âm công coffin-bearing team wears attire believed to imitate the palanquin soldiers of the Nguyen dynasty. A new regulation of Hue city (Decision 2322/QĐ-UBND dated 2/7/2026) limits funerals to no more than 72 hours and bans scattering real money, foreign currency and votive paper along the procession route.
What sets a Huế funeral apart from elsewhere?
The most noticeable point is the level of detail in the rites. Nhân Dân newspaper noted that in some localities people name the custom after the ethnic group, while in Huế simply saying "a Huế funeral" is enough to picture something distinct[1]. Older people there see the funeral as having many rites, meticulous in every detail, but not superstitious: preparing the body, encoffining, and donning mourning attire are all seen as ways to see off the soul and uphold filial duty[1]. In folk belief, this is the last occasion for children and grandchildren to show filial respect before the living and the dead are separated[1].
Why do Huế people value choosing the day and hour for encoffining and burial?
Huế people often mention the phrase "coi ngày đưa ông/mệ đi" (choosing the day to see grandfather/grandmother off), and in practice many families keep the coffin at home for 5 to 7 days, sometimes longer[1]. The reason, explained by a Huế cultural researcher, is that choosing the day and hour for encoffining and burial is not really for the deceased but to set the living at ease, and is seen as a way to soothe grief and a bridge between family members[1].
Two layers need to be separated here. The first is belief: people believe an auspicious day will bring blessings to later generations[1]. The second is calendrical: calculating days and hours by heavenly stems, earthly branches, and solar terms is an operation that can be computed and cross-checked against a printed calendar. But deducing which day is "auspicious" or "inauspicious" for a family is not a calendar calculation; it is a convention of day-selection arts. This article does not confirm which way of choosing a day is right.
What do coffin bearers in Huế wear?
This is the most discussed feature of Huế funerals. According to experts cited by Tri thức trực tuyến, the attire of coffin bearers in Huế today draws on the attire of royal palanquin guards of the past[2]. Vũ Đức, founder of Bách Hoa Bộ Hành, told the paper that the âm công attire seen in Huế today is in fact modelled on the attire of the soldiers who carried palanquins and parasols in the Nguyễn kings' processions; the article also notes that coffin bearers' attire used to be mainly white, indigo and black[2].
The limits of the source should be clear. These are the opinions of people who research and practise historical costume, as reported in a newspaper article, not the result of a peer-reviewed study on the history of funeral attire. So it should be understood that the claim that today's Huế coffin-bearer attire imitates royal palanquin guards is a stated observation, without enough research to conclude firmly. It should also be noted that the event that prompted this discussion, in June 2025, was a historical costume parade in Huế, in which the Cân Đai Dao Trì group wore attire that the online community said resembled coffin-bearer dress, and they hired an âm công team to carry a palanquin[2]. This concerns a specific event, not a description of the whole custom.
In folk usage, the funeral service team in Huế is called "đội âm công"[1]. Mr. Lê Văn Tứ, head of a long-standing âm công team on the city outskirts, is the person quoted in the newspaper in the context of newly issued funeral regulations[1].
Where does the custom of scattering money and votive paper during the funeral procession come from?
The custom of scattering paper money during the funeral procession, along with offerings of food and the cáo đạo lộ and cáo đạo trung rites in funerals, was placed by researcher Trần Đình Hằng in the context of beliefs about the underworld[3]. According to the study published in the Journal of Religious Studies in 2015, the traditional folk belief about the other world is "sinh ký tử quy", meaning life is a temporary lodging and death is a return, and the underworld is basically like the living world, with all kinds of material things and corresponding needs[3].
Therefore, the custom of burning paper clothes and paper money is seen by Trần Đình Hằng as arising from the need to handle cases of untimely death, sudden death, death on the road or in the market, death before marriage, before being named, before taking shape[3]. According to the author, those factors resonate with the custom of offerings to wandering souls and unclaimed remains, making the ritual life of residents more varied and profound[3].
This is very noteworthy because it shows the custom of scattering money is not just "burning for the dead to spend", but carries a social layer: handling incomplete deaths. However, when this custom is practiced with real money and foreign currency on the streets, it shifts to another issue: public order and urban appearance.
What are civilized funeral regulations in Huế changing?
Nhân Dân newspaper reported that a new regulation on funerals (Decision 2322/QĐ-UBND of 2 July 2026 by the Huế City People's Committee) applies to all organizations, families, and individuals in the city, requiring funerals to be solemn, economical, civilized, in line with fine customs, while ensuring environmental hygiene, public order, and traffic safety[1]. Specific prohibitions include not scattering real money, foreign currency, votive paper, or hell money on the funeral route, and not playing sound too loudly to affect the surroundings[1].
The regulation also limits a funeral to at most 72 hours from death to the procession; special cases are considered by the chairman of the commune or ward People's Committee[1]. Speaking to Tuổi Trẻ, Dr Lê Vũ Trường Giang (Huế University) supported the rule but said it needs time and the consent of residents[4]. This is where careful reading is needed: on one side is an administrative regulation to ensure hygiene, order, and safety; on the other is the family's belief about good days and hours for the deceased and for descendants. The two are not necessarily contradictory, but they do not automatically match either.
| Aspect | Recorded traditional practice | Direction of adjustment under civilized regulations |
|---|---|---|
| Coffin keeping time | Some families keep the coffin 5 to 7 days, sometimes longer, to choose the day and hour[1] | At most 72 hours from death to the procession; special cases decided by the commune or ward chairman[1] |
| Bearer attire | Modelled on Nguyễn-dynasty palanquin guard attire, per Vũ Đức of Bách Hoa Bộ Hành[2] | Not listed as prohibited content |
| Scattering money and votive paper on the road | Tied to the sinh ký tử quy belief and offerings to wandering souls[3] | Prohibited to scatter real money, foreign currency, votive paper, hell money[1] |
| Sound at funerals | Not described in the sources | Do not play sound too loudly to affect the surroundings[1] |
| Venue | Mostly held at home[1] | Required to keep public order and traffic safety[1] |
The table above only contrasts two columns, without implying one is more correct. Holding funerals at home is a recorded fact, and it is precisely because of holding them at home that encroachment on the roadway, traffic unsafety, and urban appearance issues arise[1].
In short, where does the uniqueness of Huế funerals lie?
The uniqueness lies in three places. First is the level of detail in the rites and the emphasis on choosing days and hours, to the point that many families keep the coffin 5 to 7 days or longer[1]. Second is the âm công coffin-bearing team, whose attire is said to be modelled on Nguyễn-dynasty palanquin guards[2]. Third is the custom of scattering money and votive paper along the funeral route; Trần Đình Hằng's study places it within the sinh ký tử quy belief and offerings to wandering souls among the Việt in general, not Huế alone[3].
Of the three, the length of time the coffin is kept and the scattering of real money, foreign currency and votive paper on the road are the two points the civilized-funeral regulation directly adjusts[1]. How to reconcile family belief and urban regulations is an open question, and answers may differ among families, clans, and areas within the same province.
