First-footing at Tết: how Vietnamese families choose the first visitor of the year, and what that visitor does
Short answer: xông đất, literally "warming the ground", is the Vietnamese belief that the first person to step into a home after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve influences the family's luck for the whole year. Families usually invite someone whose zodiac sign is considered compatible with the head of the household, and who is cheerful, settled and not in mourning. The visitor comes in briefly, offers a short wish, gives lucky money to the children and leaves. Many families now do their own first-footing so they do not have to burden anyone.
If you are a foreigner in Vietnam, there is a fair chance you will be asked at some point, and an even better chance you will need to know not to turn up unannounced at a friend's house early on the first morning of Tết.
Where the custom comes from
Vietnamese people treat the start of the year as an opening for everything that follows: the first words spoken, the first meal, the first visitor. First-footing is the clearest expression of that idea. It is folk belief; nothing shows that a visitor changes a household's fortune, but it creates a deliberate, cheerful start.
Readers from Scotland or northern England will recognise the idea, since a similar first-footing custom follows midnight on 31 December there. The Vietnamese twist is that compatibility is worked out through the zodiac.
Choosing by zodiac: the compatible trios
The twelve signs are grouped into four trios considered harmonious, called tam hợp:
- Monkey, Rat, Dragon
- Tiger, Horse, Dog
- Snake, Rooster, Buffalo
- Pig, Cat, Goat
And three groups of four considered in conflict, called tứ hành xung:
- Rat, Horse, Cat, Rooster
- Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Pig
- Dragon, Dog, Buffalo, Goat
So a head of household born in a Horse year might invite a Tiger or a Dog, and avoid a Rat, Cat or Rooster. Note the Vietnamese zodiac uses the cat and the water buffalo where other countries have the rabbit and the ox. Some people also factor in the heavenly stem, the five elements or the sign of the coming year, so online calculators often disagree.
Choosing by character: what many elders really care about
Ask older Vietnamese and many will tell you the sign is only part of it. A "good" first-footer is someone who is:
- Warm, generous and upbeat in conversation.
- From a happy household, with a stable year behind them.
- Not in mourning; people who lost a family member that year usually hold back from early visits themselves.
- Close to the family, so the visit feels natural.
Some families ask a well-behaved child from the extended family, because children are seen as pure-hearted and bring a happy atmosphere.
If you are the first-footer
- Agree the time in advance. Some families want you right after midnight, others early on the morning of the first day.
- Walk in naturally and offer a short, sincere wish for health and a peaceful year.
- Bring a small gift: a box of sweets, a sprig of flowers, a packet of tea. Give the children lucky money, lì xì, in red envelopes; new notes are appreciated.
- Keep it short, around fifteen or twenty minutes. The family has a busy day ahead.
- Avoid sad topics, debts or illness.
Being chosen as a foreigner is usually a sign of genuine affection. Families sometimes pick a foreign friend precisely because the visit feels fresh and fun.
Doing it yourself
To avoid putting pressure on anyone, or worrying that they might "bring bad luck" to someone else's house, many families now first-foot their own home. A household member, often the one whose sign suits the new year best, steps out shortly before midnight and walks back in just after. Some go to a pagoda at the turn of the year and enter their own home on the way back.
It neatly avoids both problems: no favour to ask, and no one to blame quietly if the year turns out hard.
Declining politely
Being asked is a mark of trust, but you do not have to accept, especially if you have had a loss in the family or are unsure about compatibility. Thank them, explain honestly, and offer to visit in the afternoon or on the second day instead. Vietnamese hosts understand these reasons and are rarely offended.
The reverse matters too: do not drop by a Vietnamese friend's home early on the first morning of Tết without being invited. Many families care a great deal about who comes through the door first, and an unexpected cheerful foreigner can cause quiet dismay.
Keeping it light
There are stories of families blaming a first-footer for a bad business year and relationships cooling as a result. That is the downside of leaning too heavily on a custom. A year goes well or badly for many reasons: health, the economy, one's own decisions. First-footing works best kept in its proper place: a happy opening and a kind wish.
New Year's Eve: what happens before the first-footer arrives
First-footing follows straight on from the midnight ceremony, lễ giao thừa. Many families make two offerings: one outdoors, in the yard or just outside the door, to see off the spirit official in charge of the old year and welcome the new one, according to folk belief; and one indoors at the ancestor altar. By then the house has been cleaned, the altar polished and the lights switched on. Some families open the front door at the stroke of midnight as a gesture of letting the new year in.
The outdoor offering includes incense and candles, so it should sit on a sturdy table out of the wind, with someone nearby until the incense burns down. In apartment buildings many families make only the indoor offering, or set a small tray on a sheltered balcony if management allows. Only after this does the first-footer step in, or a family member does their own first-footing. If you are invited to stay for the midnight ceremony, stand quietly behind the family and follow their lead.
If you have been asked and want a small symbolic gift rather than the usual box of sweets, the lucky charms section of Vật Phẩm Phong Thủy, a Vietnamese-language shop that delivers within Vietnam, has modest options; a small, sincere gift is all that is expected.