Duc Tien property division lawsuit: Wife and children receive 70%, biological mother receives 2 billion but is still upset

The inheritance dispute of the late actor Duc Tien is attracting great public attention. After his death in the US, his family members had a conflict regarding the ownership of the property he left behind.

The People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City has opened a trial between his wife, Ms. Binh Phuong, and his biological mother, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, to determine legal inheritance rights.

According to records, the late actor Duc Tien's assets include a house in Linh Dong ward, Thu Duc city, worth about 6.2 billion VND and a plot of land in Tay Ninh province worth about 1 billion VND. Before his death, Duc Tien made a will in the US, this document was consularized and recognized as legally valid in Vietnam.

In his will, he left most of his assets to his wife and daughter, but this did not prevent conflicts between the parties involved.

Ms. Binh Phuong argued that all of this property was joint property acquired during the marriage, and therefore she had the right to inherit it in full. However, the court determined that most of the property had been purchased and paid for by Duc Tien before the marriage registration, so it could not be considered joint property of the couple. On this basis, Ms. Binh Phuong's request for full inheritance was not approved.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Duc Tien's biological mother, argued that the house in Thu Duc City was a joint property between her and her son because she contributed, looked after and managed it during Duc Tien's time in the US. However, she could not provide clear evidence to prove her capital contribution, so the court only recognized her partial contribution in preserving the property but did not recognize the co-ownership. Duc Tien's stepmother - Ms. Sang - was also present in the lawsuit as a related party, claiming that she had provided financial support and contributed money to buy the house. However, the court rejected this request because there was no valid evidence.

After considering the parties, the court declared that Duc Tien's will was legal. Mrs. Anh was entitled to a portion of the inheritance that was not subject to the will, equal to one-third of the total value of the property, and an additional 10% of the house's value for her efforts in managing, paying taxes, and looking after the house when her son was abroad. In total, the inheritance she received was more than 2 billion VND. Meanwhile, Ms. Binh Phuong and Duc Tien's daughter were entitled to the remaining portion, equivalent to more than 70% of the total property. She was responsible for paying back the corresponding value to her mother-in-law.

The court also rejected Ms. Binh Phuong's request to deduct nearly 900 million VND in emergency, treatment and burial expenses from her inheritance because there were no valid documents.

At the same time, Ms. Anh’s request for the division of the property, which is the house in the US, was also not accepted because it was not under domestic jurisdiction. This judgment is considered reasonable, ensuring the rights of the parties based on the law on marriage and inheritance.

Duc Tien became famous in the modeling industry in the 2000s. After marrying Miss Binh Phuong, he moved to the US to live with his wife, working as an MC for many programs and events for Vietnamese people overseas. Before his death, he opened a media company, organized events, and actively participated in many shows at home and abroad.

Duc Tien's tomb was destroyed in the US, his wife released a "mysterious will without any names of relatives" Minh Lợi19:13:05 25/03/2025Recently, the noise surrounding the inheritance dispute between Duc Tien's wife - Miss Binh Phuong and the late actor's family, specifically the late artist's biological mother, has received attention from the audience.