SYNOPSIS
“Grave diggers for hire” is a quiet documentary following Bình and Ngọc, two men who make a living by exhuming graves at a rural cemetery near Hanoi. Behind this daily work are profound reflections on health, death, and the meaning of preserving a tradition that is gradually fading away. This documentary sensitively explores the lives of those maintaining the cultural practice of grave exhumation, shedding light on deeper human and social themes.
CREDIT
Director: Nguyễn Ánh
Nguyễn Ánh (born 1995, near Hanoi) graduated in graphic design in 2018. After nearly 7 years working in this field, she shifted to documentary filmmaking by joining the Varan Vietnam workshop at age 29. This marked a new creative path for her: exploring the art of non-fiction storytelling.
Genre: Documentary
Production: Varan Việt Nam | Trần Phương Thảo
Cinematography: Nguyễn Ánh
Sound:
Lê Thị Thắm, Nguyễn Văn Thanh, Trần Thị Phương Thảo, Nguyễn Hồ Bảo Nghi, Mý Đức, Cầm Đức Hiệp
Editing: Tạ Minh Đức
REWARDS, FESTIVALS AND DIFFUSIONS
Bremen Days of Ethnographic Film
Germany | 2026
CLIPS
PHOTOS
Other Films
DUST
Once upon a time, there was an old lady, a boy and a dog. All day long, they roamed the streets, pushing their little truck so as to glean cardboard and plastic which they sell to whoever pays the most. They only return home when the city is fast asleep.
FIND OUT
Pottery seller
To escape from the difficulties of life in the countryside, Hung and Thuy decide to sell ceramic ware. They mortgage their family home to buy a boat which is used to transport the goods. They travel down the Red River to reach Hanoi, the capital, and sell their pots as best they can. Their new direction is not so easy.
FIND OUT
Daddy’s come home
Without sufficient work in the countryside, many peasants go to Hanoi to sell their labor force. As day laborers, they wait in the streets of the city until a job is offered them. After particularly arduous work, some decide to return to the countryside to be near their wives and children. The main character, surrounded by his neighbors, recounts the difficulties and the differences in living conditions between the city and the country.
FIND OUT
Thanh Cong village, Thanh Cong neighbourhood
In an old district of Hanoi, formerly a village, new loud speakers must be repaired and installed. By observing everyday life, Vang Anh films with humor the animation caused by this event and plunges us into the heart of Vietnamese contradictions.
FIND OUT
