Wedding, funeral music not allowed before 6am, after 10pm in Vietnam

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy on Monday signed a consolidated document bringing together regulations on civilized practices at weddings, funerals and festivals.

The regulations require individuals and organizations to ensure that weddings, funerals and festivals do not violate traditional cultural values or involve superstitious practices.

Such events must not be used to cause divisions within communities, clans or families, or affect traffic safety and public order.

Gambling in any form is also prohibited.

Officials and organizations are also not allowed to use working hours or official vehicles to attend weddings or festivals, except when doing so as part of their duties. Public funds cannot be used to buy wedding gifts or gifts for bereaved families.

Wedding ceremonies should be formal but economical, joyful and healthy.

Traditional practices such as family introductions, engagement ceremonies and the bride’s procession may be observed, but they should not be elaborate or involve excessive demands for gifts.

Decorations should be simple, while the bride and groom should wear appropriate and culturally respectful clothing.

Wedding music should be wholesome and cheerful, with sound levels kept within permitted limits.

Couples and their families are also encouraged to lay flowers at monuments, cemeteries honoring fallen soldiers and historical and cultural sites, plant commemorative trees and wear traditional clothing or attire representing their ethnic group on their wedding day.

For funerals, if a deceased person has no family or relatives to organize the funeral, local authorities are responsible for coordinating with mass organizations to arrange the funeral and burial in accordance with traditional customs.

Funerals should be conducted respectfully and solemnly, while avoiding unnecessary expense and reflecting national cultural traditions and the family’s circumstances.

Local authorities are responsible for facilitating funeral arrangements and encouraging families to abandon outdated customs and superstitious practices.

Funeral attire and flags should follow local, ethnic or religious traditions, with funeral flags displayed only at the funeral venue.

The sound levels of funeral music must remain within permitted limits. If the deceased belonged to a particular religion or ethnic minority, music associated with that religion or ethnic group may be used.

The regulations prohibit scattering Vietnamese or foreign currency along funeral processions.

Burials must take place in cemeteries or in accordance with local land-use plans.