By Kalynh Ngo and Tam Nguyen, Nguoi Viet
WESTMINSTER, Calif. – Years ago, they fled Vietnam.
These are resting places for those who remain in the United States. Photo by Kalynh Ngo/Nguoi Viet
And when death comes calling, those born in Vietnam but who lived their lives in America often want to go home.
“The people who are deceased would want to be close with their relatives and ancestors,” said Tuan Nguyen, owner of Thien Mon Funeral Home in Westminster. In fact, Nguyen said it is a tradition for Asian families to return their love ones to their homeland to rest, especially the Vietnamese.
About 30 percent of families who hail from South Vietnam send their deceased home for burial, Nguyen said. He said the majority of requests for assistance with transportation back to Vietnam come from first-generation Vietnamese immigrants.
“The deceased have relatives in Vietnam and would want the relatives to see them, and would want to make it easy for them to visit the grave from time to time,” Nguyen said.
Khang Le, owner of An Lac Funeral Home in Westminster, has had many requests to send the deceased back to Vietnam since this area has so many people who immigrated from South Vietnam.
The cost to transport the deceased to Vietnam isn’t cheap, however.
Nguyen’s funeral home offers two options. In one choice, he will handle the transportation, prepare the body for burial and complete all of the paperwork for $11,500. The second option is where he does only the U.S. portion of the paperwork for $9,500. The deceased’s body arrives in Vietnam in about two weeks.
As for An Lac Funeral Home, Le said the cost will be up to $15,000, depending on the quality of the casket.
Peek Funeral Home will complete the arrangements with prices ranging from $7,000 to $15,000, according to Lynda Tran, manager of Peek Funeral Home in Westminster.
Should the deceased’s family choose to have their loved one cremated, the transportation costs to Vietnam are much less, however.
“For a low efficient cost, the relatives can send the ashes of the deceased home by post for about $100,” Tran said.
Original story written by Kalynh Ngo in Vietnamese https://www.nguoi-viet.com/absolutenm2/templates/viewarticlesNVO.aspx?articleid=195481&zoneid=1#.VCScEPldW9p
