Cam Thanh Commune Cemetery @ Hoi An in Vietnam

It's no secret I have a fascination with cemeteries although my travel companions don't share the same interest. Most, if not all, are not keen when I suggested a cemetery tour. :(

But in Hoi An, I was blessed to chance upon two local cemeteries while we were undertaking Hoi An Village Experience Cycling Day Tour! According to our funny guide, they were commonly known as "local hotels", and this kind would be best as you would have an eternal sleep under the stars! 

Known as Cam Thanh Commune Cemetery on Google Map, it might not appear huge when see with my naked eyes (with progressive lens), but it was almost 200 meters by 100 meters big.

We had a water buffalo riding item for the tour which was located right next to the cemetery. Hence, although we were there for more than half an hour, I didn't dare venture too far. 

I just explored the near vicinity and noted that while some tombs had photos of the deceased, many didn't. This was quite different from Singapore, unless the tombs were very old. 

The ones above were in the 70s and 90s, when photos on tombs were pretty common. Not sure if it is a Vietnamese thing or maybe village specific. Given the scarcity of space in Singapore, you would also likely see tombs in the same zone from the same era but I guess things are not as rigid in countries with the luxury of space, like Vietnam! 

This tomb was even newer; less than 10 years! Google translate was a failure in translating Vietnamese as the resulting English failed to make any sense. So, did the person die in 2015 or 2016? 

Another thing I noticed from this cemetery was the sheer amount of tombs with what appeared to be coffins above ground, encased with stone. In Singapore, the coffins were underground with a green mound above it. 

There were exceptions, like the above.

It's always sad to see tombs like the above. Given the size, I would assume buried under would be kids, likely infants and toddlers. Death is an eventuality but when it hits someone so young, the pain lingers and lasts for the living. 

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Click here for my 8 Days' Itinerary to Danang (The City of Bridges) & Hoi An (The City of Lanterns) in Vietnam