Death and Passing Away — Is There a Difference?

In Vietnamese, there are two distinct ideas: chết (death — the end) and qua đời (passing away — the conclusion of this life and the beginning of another).

We grieve because we lose a presence, a voice, an interaction. That grief is real and should be honored.

But alongside grief, perhaps there is also space for quiet joy — knowing that someone has moved on to a better existence, free from the weight of this one.

How we understand death shapes how we understand life.

— Thiện Minh