My personal view on inheritance is that parents should be free to give their assets to anyone, including strangers, if they wish. However, unless there is a compelling reason, the default should be equal distribution between children.
Of course, there can be exceptions, such as giving more to children who are disabled or seriously ill, or those who sacrifice their time and career to care for elderly parents.
However, I strongly disagree with the idea of giving a larger share to poorer children. Wealthier children earned their success through their own efforts, so it would be unfair for parents to reduce their inheritance to favor other children.
For example, one child worked hard, studied diligently, juggled multiple jobs, borrowed money to buy a home early, worked tirelessly to pay off debts and became financially stable by the age of 40. In contrast, another child focused on travel and enjoying life, leaving them without a home.
In this case, I would still give both children an equal share. If the richer child chooses to share part of their inheritance with the other one, I would respect that decision.
In my family, assets have always been divided equally among the children for three generations, including my parents and grandparents. This is because we were all born the same way and should have the same opportunities in life. Wealth or poverty is the result of personal effort, and there should be no distinction between sons and daughters, rich or poor, capable or not, or whether one is close or distant.
On my father’s side, an uncle passed away early, so his children inherited his share. Another uncle lived abroad for nearly 50 years but was later called back to receive his inheritance along with the rest of the family.
When he passes, his share will be transferred to his children, even though they are not Vietnamese citizens. My family has appointed a trustworthy person to hold the assets on their behalf and will return or sell them and transfer the proceeds whenever needed.
Some people argue that daughters should get less because they will benefit from their husbands’ family assets. But consider this: should the daughters get divorced, they will have nothing from either side of their families while the sons can keep their inheritance regardless of their marital status. Is that fair?
For this reason, I have already made plans to divide inheritance equally between sons and daughters. If there is any surplus, I will prioritize giving more to my daughter.
*This opinion was translated into English with the assistance of AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.
