Votive products offered for sale online

With the thought "The life in the afterworld is similar to that of the real world" in mind, many Vietnamese still burn paper money and votive objects such as houses, cars, smart phones, gold and silver, and others for their deceased relatives, hoping that their ancestors have full utensils in the other world. Burning votive objects is more common during the seventh lunar month, called the month for wandering souls.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the golden time of e-commerce, this year votive products are offered for sale on many online-shopping sites and even social networks like Facebook. Buyers can find products from banknotes and votive clothes, to offerings for wandering souls like popcorn, confectionery.

Ms. Thu Hai from Ha Dong district, Hanoi, told VietNamNet that after trying to search on a shopping app, she was quite surprised because products like votive objects were available.

Votive products are also available on Facebook.

“In the past, consumers used to buy offerings at the grocery store or wet markets. Now, they can easily buy these products online,” Hai said.

Although votive products are offered for sale online at low prices and the delivery service is very convenient, many people said they have changed their thoughts and would not buy these products.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga from Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi said that she would not purchase votive products and would instead save real money for charity. Using real money with economic value to buy paper money and votive objects to burn leads to waste and harmful effects to the environment, Nga said.

Bao Anh