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City of Ghosts: Where the dead live more opulently than the living

Hue, just outside Vietnam’s ancient imperial capital, is a tiny fishing village known as the City of Ghosts. (AFP)

Updated on: Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM IST

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Hue, just outside Vietnam’s ancient imperial capital, is a tiny fishing village known as the City of Ghosts. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

Hue, just outside Vietnam’s ancient imperial capital, is a tiny fishing village known as the City of Ghosts. (AFP)

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A buffalo-pulled cart moving past large tombs at the cemetery in An Bang. Local fishermen are taking the tomb tradition into the 21st century by pouring in up to $70,000 to make elaborate resting places for their kin. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

A buffalo-pulled cart moving past large tombs at the cemetery in An Bang. Local fishermen are taking the tomb tradition into the 21st century by pouring in up to $70,000 to make elaborate resting places for their kin. (AFP)

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A family tomb in An Bang. The spectacular tombs of Vietnam’s former emperors are a well-trodden stop on the tourist circuit in UNESCO-listed Hue, the country’s capital for some 140 years starting in 1802. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

A family tomb in An Bang. The spectacular tombs of Vietnam’s former emperors are a well-trodden stop on the tourist circuit in UNESCO-listed Hue, the country’s capital for some 140 years starting in 1802. (AFP)

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A worker building a $40,000 USD family tomb at a cemetery. It is an astronomical cost considering that the country’s annual per capital income is $2,000. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

A worker building a $40,000 USD family tomb at a cemetery. It is an astronomical cost considering that the country’s annual per capital income is $2,000. (AFP)

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A worker building a grave at another cemetery. Though Vietnam is officially an atheist state thanks to its communist rulers, it has been deeply influenced by Confucius and Buddhist thoughts, and many people take ancestor worship seriously. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

A worker building a grave at another cemetery. Though Vietnam is officially an atheist state thanks to its communist rulers, it has been deeply influenced by Confucius and Buddhist thoughts, and many people take ancestor worship seriously. (AFP)

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Workers decorating a family tomb at a cemetery. Retired fisherman Dang Thien, for instance, was one of the first ones in 1994 to renovate his family plot into elaborate cemetery. Since then, locals have been investing heavily in centuries-old cemeteries. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

Workers decorating a family tomb at a cemetery. Retired fisherman Dang Thien, for instance, was one of the first ones in 1994 to renovate his family plot into elaborate cemetery. Since then, locals have been investing heavily in centuries-old cemeteries. (AFP)

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A cluster of cemeteries in the village. Some tombs in the village, set next to white sand beach, rise up to ten metres high, with every inch meticulously decorated. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

A cluster of cemeteries in the village. Some tombs in the village, set next to white sand beach, rise up to ten metres high, with every inch meticulously decorated. (AFP)

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Interestingly, a few tombs stand empty: The locals have built them in advance of their own deaths. There is one which was completed in 2005, and is still waiting for its owner. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

Interestingly, a few tombs stand empty: The locals have built them in advance of their own deaths. There is one which was completed in 2005, and is still waiting for its owner. (AFP)

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Locals in An Bang have let their creativity run riot when it comes to tombs. While traditional Vietnamese dragon carvings are popular, some graves also appear to draw inspiration from Hindu imagery, with others featuring Christian or Islamic symbols. (AFP)

Updated on Feb 25, 2016 6:06 PM

Locals in An Bang have let their creativity run riot when it comes to tombs. While traditional Vietnamese dragon carvings are popular, some graves also appear to draw inspiration from Hindu imagery, with others featuring Christian or Islamic symbols. (AFP)

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