TL;DR: Lì xì is the custom of giving lucky money at the start of the year, when adults hand red envelopes to children and relatives along with wishes for good fortune. The term "lì xì" has several explanations, most commonly linked to the word "lợi" (profit, good fortune) and to a Tang dynasty legend of wrapping gifts in red cloth. Old books on customs (Phan Kế Bính 1915, Toan Ánh 2001) call New Year money "tiền mừng tuổi", with two directions: descendants bow and wish grandparents and parents well, then their elders give money back; in the South the custom of wishing children well is called "li xì". The main part of lì xì is the wish and the presence of the giver, not the amount of money inside.
Lì xì: where the word comes from, what the red envelope means, and why the amount is not the main thing
What is lì xì and why is there always a red envelope at Tết?
Lì xì is the custom of mừng tuổi (New Year greetings) at the start of the year: grandparents, parents and the adults of the household place money inside a small red or deep pink envelope and hand it to children and grandchildren, to neighbourhood children, to close relatives. That envelope is called a bao lì xì, a phong lì xì, and the money inside is called tiền lì xì. The outside of the envelope is usually printed with wishes in Hán characters such as "Kim ngọc mãn đường" (gold and jade fill the hall), "Vạn sự như ý" (may all things go as you wish), "Niên niên hưng vượng" (prosperity year after year), expressing hopes for peace, joy and good fortune.
The heart of this custom is not the banknote but the act of giving and receiving: adults wish children a good upbringing and a worthy life, children wish adults health and luck in return. The red envelope is simply what carries that wish.
Where does the word "lì xì" come from?
At least two explanations are recorded, and scholars of custom do not entirely agree with one another.
The first explanation: "lì xì" is "lợi thị"
In this reading, the sound "lì" corresponds to the Sino-Vietnamese "lợi" (profit, advantage), while "xì" corresponds to "thị" (market). Put together they form "Lợi Thị", meaning to gain profit, to gain money, to gain luck. On this understanding, lì xì money is precisely the money that brings good luck and good things to children in the early days of spring.
The second explanation: a legend from the Tang dynasty
The second account tells that the lì xì custom dates to the Tang dynasty in China. On festival days, courtiers presented gifts to the king to wish him a new year of plenty and happiness. The king gave a little back, wrapped in a piece of red cloth. People then imitated this, bringing cakes and gifts to one another, especially to children. Later, because cakes and fruit were bulky and inconvenient, people replaced them with money. The piece of red cloth was likewise replaced by a small, pretty red packet for tidiness and good looks.
Whichever hypothesis it comes from, "lì xì" remains one of the customs of the Vietnamese people, and the explanations all circle the same idea: to gain profit, to gain money, to gain luck, given to children at Tết to wish them a good upbringing and a worthy life.
| Explanation | Main content | Focus of meaning |
|---|---|---|
| "Lợi Thị" | "Lì" corresponds to "lợi", "xì" corresponds to "thị" | Wishing for profit, wealth and luck |
| Tang dynasty legend | The king gave back gifts wrapped in red cloth, and people imitated it | The exchange of kindness, New Year wishes |
What did old books of custom call New Year money?
According to Toan Ánh (2001) in Phong tục thờ cúng tổ tiên trong gia đình Việt Nam (Customs of ancestor worship in the Vietnamese family), the money adults give children on Tết days is called tiền mừng tuổi, and is also money to open the shop for luck. Recipients usually put it away and rarely spend it, except when they have no choice. Wealthy families give a lot; poor families also give a token few coins so that their children meet good things all year round. Also according to Toan Ánh (2001), in the South the custom of mừng tuổi children is called "li xì" (as spelled in the book); adults greet children with the wish that they eat well and grow fast, study brightly, and be healthy and obedient.
What does the red envelope mean?
The red of the envelope is not decoration for the sake of the eye. In East Asian thinking, red is the colour of life, of fire, of joy and good things; it is also the colour commonly used to drive away misfortune. The red envelope is therefore both a container for money and a wish that is seen with the eyes before it is opened.
Beyond colour, the form of the envelope also carries a message: it is small, sealed, neat. The money is placed inside discreetly, not displayed. This very discretion makes the amount inside a private matter between giver and receiver, rather than an open comparison.
Why must it be an envelope rather than bare money?
Handing over bare money is handing over a sum. Handing it over in a red envelope is handing over a wish with a small gift attached. The envelope acts as a mediator: it keeps the act of giving money from resembling a transaction, and makes it resemble a rite. Thanks to that layer of red paper, too, the receiver can decline to open it at once, put it away, and keep both the envelope and the wish.
Why is the amount not the main thing?
Because lì xì is a rite of blessing, not a payment. In that rite, what is given first of all is the wish and the presence of the giver. The amount is only the carrier, just as the envelope is only the container.
This explains why in many families the denominations of lì xì money are usually small and chosen for lucky numbers, carrying symbolic meaning rather than real value. A small note that is new and flat, placed in a red envelope with a wish spoken aloud, is often remembered longer than a thick envelope given in haste.
For the same reason, comparing the money between envelopes spoils the very meaning of the custom. When the amount becomes the measure, lì xì turns from a wish into a swap, and the receiver loses the most valuable part: the feeling of being blessed.
Who receives lì xì and who gives it?
The custom has no hard rules, but generally follows a few familiar patterns:
- Grandparents and parents give lì xì to children and grandchildren in the household.
- Adults give lì xì to neighbourhood children and close relatives.
- Children and grandchildren can also mừng tuổi grandparents and parents to wish them long life.
- Working people can give lì xì to colleagues and partners on the occasion of the new year.
The common point is that the giver is usually older or in a position to bless the receiver. But the reverse direction exists too: children and grandchildren mừng tuổi grandparents as a way of showing respect at the start of the year.
In Việt Nam phong tục (Vietnamese Customs) by Phan Kế Bính (1915) it is recorded that, after the ceremony of worshipping the ancestors, children and grandchildren come to greet and wish long life to grandparents and parents with two bows; in return, grandparents and parents give each of them a few xu or a few hào, and this is called tiền mừng tuổi. So the old custom of mừng tuổi had two directions: the children and grandchildren bowed and wished the elders, and then the elders gave money back.
Also according to Toan Ánh (2001), in the villages, on the morning of the first day, after the ceremony at the đình (communal house), the elders were greeted and wished a happy new year by representatives of the villagers right at the đình, with their own particular recitations of wishes.
How has lì xì changed today?
The form of lì xì has expanded with the times. Besides the traditional paper envelope, people also use printed envelopes, custom-designed envelopes, and even lì xì by electronic transfer. A transfer keeps the "money" part but loses the "red envelope" part and the "hand to hand" part, that is, it loses two elements that are ritual in nature.
This is where opinions divide: some hold that electronic lì xì is convenient and suited to people far away; others hold that it dilutes the meaning of the custom. This article takes no side, and merely notes that the form may change while the core of the custom remains the New Year wish.
