Vu Lan, a traditional Buddhist holiday honoring ancestors, holds a significant place in Vietnamese culture. Over time, as lifestyles have become busier, many families have turned to online ancestral worship services as a convenient way to express their piety and gratitude to the deceased.
Nguyen Ngoc Mai, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, shares her experience. Originally from Hanoi, she and her family relocated due to work commitments two years ago. As a result, they were unable to tend to their ancestors’ graves located in the capital. Mai resorted to engaging online grave-tending and ancestral worship services to perform tasks such as grave cleaning, planting flowers, offering sacrifices, and burning incense during festive occasions.
Online ancestral worship services see a rise in demand during the Vu Lan festival.
“During Vu Lan and other important festivals, I turn to companies offering these services. Apart from grave maintenance and cleaning, they also prepare offerings and burn incense on our behalf,” Mai shares. “Even though we live far away, the graves of our loved ones are always well-maintained and honored with incense, giving us peace of mind despite our physical distance.”
Tran Van Luong, a resident of Cau Giay, Hanoi, shares a similar experience. His family’s ancestral grave is located in Hoa Binh, and while they usually visit during the annual Thanh Minh festival, work commitments prevented them from doing so this year. As a solution, they hired an online ancestral worship service.
“While these services can’t replace traditional worship, I often travel for work, so I find them helpful in ensuring our ancestors’ graves are well taken care of,” Luong explains. “On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, I also order vegetarian meals or fresh flower bouquets, which the staff delivers to the grave and captures in photos or videos sent to me via email.”
Tran Mai Lan, also from Hanoi, faces similar challenges due to her busy work schedule, which often takes her away from home for extended periods. As a result, she relies on online ancestral worship services during important occasions such as the full moon and new moon days, as well as festivals like Tet Doan Ngo, Thanh Minh, and Vu Lan.
“Initially, I was hesitant about using these services, but after seeing the photos of the offerings prepared for my parents, I was very satisfied,” Lan shares. “Perhaps because these services deal with spiritual matters, the providers cannot afford to be careless or insincere.”
In response to the growing demand, cemeteries like the Lac Hong Vien Cemetery Park in Hoa Binh and Vinh Hang in Ba Vi, Hanoi, have started offering comprehensive packages that include grave cleaning, incense offering, and memorial services for the deceased.
This year, online ancestral worship service packages for Vu Lan range from VND 300,000 to VND 2 million.
Families can easily access these services by visiting websites or fan pages or calling the hotline to order offerings, including fruits, fresh flowers, vegetarian dishes, and votive paper. They can also choose the date and time for the service, with the corresponding charges as per the published rate card.
Online ancestral worship services provide peace of mind to families who cannot be physically present at their ancestors’ graves.
Customers can choose from over 40 items for a single worship service, including chrysanthemums, lotuses, and traditional dishes like giò, boiled chicken, and boiled pork. They can also witness the staff performing the worship service and tending to the graves via live streaming or recorded videos.
Tran Quang Thuy, deputy head of the management board at Lac Hong Vien Cemetery Park, shares that during this Vu Lan season, they received over 400 orders for ancestral worship services at the graves and nearly 300 orders for offerings to be presented in person. Most orders were placed between July 1 and 15 on the lunar calendar, with up to 30 orders on peak days.
Thuy also mentions that they offer various packages, ranging from VND 299,000 to VND 2 million. “Most customers opt for packages that include vegetarian dishes, votive paper, and fruits, with an average spending of around VND 1.5 to 2 million,” he adds.
This year, customers prefer packages that include worship services at the graves, with staff taking photos and sharing them with the families. The management board has also modified their packages to meet customers’ preferences, focusing more on vegetarian dishes, environmentally friendly offerings, and reducing the use of votive paper.
“Nowadays, many families live and work far away or may not have the opportunity to physically visit and tend to their ancestors’ graves,” Thuy says. “While it is ideal for families to pay their respects in person, using online ancestral worship services is a meaningful alternative when circumstances make it impossible to be there.”
Representatives from another Hanoi-based online ancestral worship service provider echoed similar sentiments, noting a significant increase in orders during special occasions like the year-end holidays, Vu Lan, and Thanh Minh. They attributed this surge to customers living and working in different provinces or even abroad.
The Longing Gaze of Saigon’s Traders as They Await Customers During the Mid-Autumn Festival.
“Prices are rising, but customers are staying away. In recent years, the usually bustling markets during major festivals have seen a decline in shoppers,” said Ms. Tâm, a fruit vendor on Trần Quý Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City.
