VietNamNet Bridge – The National Cemetery will be located in Thach That District while the National Funeral Home will be built in Hoai Duc District, according to Hanoi’s announcement of its cemetery development plan to 2030.

A tomb at Vinh Hang Cemetery, Hanoi's outskirts.

The total area would cover 1,200 hectares, with a budget of VND24 trillion ($1.14 billion).

Mai Dich Cemetery, for high-ranking officials, will be expanded from 5.5 hectares to 5.8 hectares in 2015 to become a cemetery park.

As Mai Dich will be closed before 2020, a new National Cemetery will be built in Yen Trung Commune, Thach That District, covering 100-150 hectares.

The new National Funeral Home to serve mid- and high-ranking officials and those who have contributed to the country’s revolution will be built from now to 2020.

The old National Funeral Home at No.5 Tran Thanh Tong Street for senior officials will be renovated.

Six cemeteries will be closed: Mai Dich, Van Dien, Ha Dong, Yen Ky 1, Sai Dong and Xuan Dinh.

Van Dien Cemetery will accept cremation only and its crematorium will be modernized.

Four cemeteries will be expanded: Thanh Tuoc (from 7 to 17 hectares); Yen Ky (38 to 241.4 hectares); Vinh Hang (37 to 87 hectares); Son Tay (3.5 to 19 hectares).

Six new cemeteries are National Cemetery; Bac Son Cemetery; and cemeteries of the districts of Quoc Oai, My Duc and Thach That.

Eleven funeral homes will be upgraded and seven others are under construction now.

Mr. Le Vinh, Director of the Hanoi Construction Planning Institute, said all cemeteries in the inlying areas will be removed to the outskirts.

He added that the city will have a policy to encourage people to use the form of cremation.

This proportion in urban districts is now 11%, and the target for 2030 is 50% and 70% by 2050.

Hanoi Vice Chairman Nguyen Quoc Hung said cemetery planning would be made public in early 2015.

Le Ha