【Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network】A red envelope is a monetary gift given during holidays or for special occasions such as weddings, graduations, or the birth of a baby in East and Southeast Asian cultures. Although Chinese traditions popularized the red envelope, other cultures share similar traditional customs.
According to a report by the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnamese people are used to gathering the whole family on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The younger generation will pay New Year’s greetings to the elders, and the elders will give lucky money to the younger generation. It symbolizes smooth work and abundant financial resources, and also reflects the elders' care for the younger generation, hoping that they can usher in happiness throughout the year.
During New Year's visits, the elders will also give lucky money to the children of relatives and friends. Children can also give out red envelopes to the elders in the family to express their filial piety to the elders and good wishes for a long life. This custom reflects the mutual care of the family, so it has been passed down and continued from generation to generation in Vietnam.
Although there is no way to verify when the custom of handing out lucky money began, it has become a traditional custom today. In the past, people used to use coins as lucky money, because they believed that small change represented growth. Nowadays, people are used to using banknotes of different denominations as lucky money. The significance of giving lucky money is not the money itself, but a good blessing for the future.
