On the birthday of someone close, giving lucky money in an envelope, called lì xì, is both a practical gift and one that carries layers of meaning from old custom. Birthday money today is seen as a gift that stands for luck and prosperity. But which figures express a blessing and a wish for good fortune? Below, Flosa looks at the messages behind the numbers and at the amounts that can stand in for a birthday wish to someone you love.
What giving birthday money means
Giving money on a birthday has a particular meaning in East Asian culture. The Vietnamese call it mừng tuổi, literally “celebrating the new age”. It is more than a form of present: it expresses a blessing and the hope that the recipient’s new year of life will be more prosperous and luckier than the last. Today the usual gift when wishing an older person a happy birthday is a lucky-money envelope, which is both practical and a sign of filial respect.
Money also tends to suit what the recipient wants, since they can spend it on whatever they have in mind. It shows that you care about them, and it carries the wish that they will meet with good luck in their work.
What giving birthday money means
Beyond being a gift, birthday money can bring pleasure and encouragement, because the recipient is free to use it as they like. Quietly, it also becomes a way of sharing in someone’s happiness on a day that matters to them.
Alongside the money you can send a birthday bouquet to carry your good wishes. A money bouquet, in which banknotes are arranged like flowers, is one of the newer styles people choose.
Birthday amounts believed to bring luck and prosperity
Amounts that wish wealth and good fortune
In East Asian culture certain numbers are treated as lucky when giving birthday money, and each is read as a message:
- 168: read as “wealth all the way, without obstacles”. It is seen as a meaningful birthday gift for children and grandchildren who are studying or have started work.
- 178: 7 is regarded as a spiritual number that supports prosperity and wealth in life, while 8 in Chinese is pronounced much like the word for “to prosper”, phát in Vietnamese, as in the phrases for growing rich and gaining fortune. The number 178 is therefore often given to people in business, with the wish to prosper together.
- 188: 8 stands for wealth and fortune. Repeating it twice in 188 implies the wish “may you grow rich quickly”.
- 66, 666, 6666: 6 is taken as a symbol of prosperity, of everything going as one wishes, of smooth sailing and of good fortune in money matters. Lucky money in these figures is understood as a wish to bring fortune to the recipient.
- 88, 888, 8888: all of these carry the meaning of phát, “to prosper”. They are amounts that wish the recipient a new year of life in which everything grows and advances.
- 99, 999, 9999: 9 in Chinese is read cửu, as in the phrase thiên trường địa cửu (“as lasting as heaven and earth”). It carries the wish that luck, health and happiness will stay with the recipient for good and never fade.
- 166, 1666, 16666: these share one meaning, the wish that everything will go smoothly for the recipient and that their whole life will be peaceful.
- 199, 1999: when someone gives you birthday money in either of these figures, they are quietly wishing you a long and lasting life.
- 2099, 2188, 2998, 2009: these amounts are usually exchanged between close friends on a special occasion, because they are read as a sign of a friendship that is lasting, close and loyal.
Birthday amounts that carry a wish for wealth and good fortune
Birthday money that combines two numbers
Combining two numbers is one of the more playful ideas in East Asian number lore. Each digit has its own meaning and symbolism, and when digits are put together the meanings become richer. Two numbers combined in a birthday amount can speak of luck, of success, of happiness or of a lasting friendship, depending on what each digit means and how they are joined.
For example, joining 8 (luck and prosperity) with 6 (things going smoothly) gives the message “May luck and success always come to you.”
Combining two numbers, such as 6 and 6, is a playful idea in East Asian number lore
Four-digit lucky amounts
Lucky four-digit amounts come from the same East Asian tradition, in which every digit has a meaning and stands for something specific. With four lucky digits together the message is thought to be stronger and more auspicious. A four-digit lucky amount can express the hope for a peaceful, comfortable future and a larger wish for growth and happiness in everyday life.
How much birthday money should you give as a wish for luck and prosperity?
Some examples of four-digit lucky amounts and how they are read:
- 3468: stands for advancement at work and in life. Receiving 3468 as birthday money is read as a sign that good opportunities and success in business or career are on the way, a positive omen for the years ahead.
- 7939: joins what Vietnamese number lore calls the “big” and the “small” god of wealth (79 and 39), and carries a wish for plenty of luck and opportunity in the future. It is given in the hope that the recipient’s efforts at work will be rewarded with success.
- 6868: suggests that luck will keep arriving, one piece after another, and that the recipient will soon enjoy fortune and prosperity.
- 2204: birthday money built on 2204 is a wish for good health and a long life.
- 4078: stands in for the wish for a good “season”, a smooth and prosperous period at work and in life.
- 8386: usually seen as a symbol of wealth and fortune, and read as a sign of prosperity and luck in the near future.
- 2628: carries the message that whatever the recipient does will bring reward, success and growth at work and in life, opening new opportunities and unexpected gains.
Even or odd amounts, and points to remember
- In East Asian culture, giving money on special occasions such as Tết (Lunar New Year) or a birthday shows the care of relatives, friends and family for the recipient. Even amounts are regarded as a symbol of luck and success, and new banknotes are normally used, because they stand for a fresh start full of energy and prosperity.
- Putting the money in a red lucky-money envelope expresses the wish that the recipient’s new year of life will be comfortable and lucky.
- The giver should also pay attention to the amount inside the envelope, which matters a good deal. Many people avoid round sums that begin with 4, such as 40,000 or 400,000 VND, because the word for four sounds close to the word for death; number strings with a lucky reading, such as 4078 or 2204, are still chosen. The figures suggested above can be given in thousands of dong, as your budget allows: 168, for example, as 168,000 VND. Beyond that, favour the number 8, a symbol of luck and prosperity in feng shui belief.
See also: birthday flowers for a husband
Even or odd amounts for birthday money, and the points to remember
Taken together, these habits make giving birthday money something of an art. It is not simply an exchange of presents but a way of showing warmth, care and the hope that the recipient’s new year of life will be peaceful and prosperous.
Above all, birthday money and congratulation flowers are a way of expressing affection and a wish for a bright future. Choosing an amount that carries a message of luck and prosperity is a delicate matter that asks for attention and for respect for traditional values on the giver’s part. We hope these suggestions help you add meaning to the lucky money you give on birthdays, and so to the moments people remember.
Flosa is an online florist that helps you choose and send flowers to friends, relatives and business partners in Vietnam, for occasions such as grand openings, birthdays, weddings, condolences and International Women’s Day on 8 March. Flosa’s florists check every stem and ask what you need before designing and arranging, so that each bouquet tells your own story.
For advice, call Flosa on +84 90 252 6176.
See also the collection for Vietnamese Women’s Day, 20 October.
